Evaluate the effectiveness of Virtual Reality (VR) system as adjunct treatment during burn wound dressing in a Burn Centre

Tze Wing Wong¹, Sophia Ko¹, Tor Chiu¹,
¹Burns Centre, Prince of Wales Hospital, Hong Kong Hospital Authority, Shatin,, New Territories,, Hong Kong

Abstract

Introduction
Pain control is a major challenge, starting from the moment of burn injury through rehabilitation journey. Oral analgesics are administrated to patients before wound dressing to allow time to reach peak effect. The effectiveness of pain killers cannot be satisfied by most of them.
With use of VR, patients wear the headset to immerse into induction then hypnotic phase. They put on headphone having a soft voice for relaxation attentively. Then, dressing change will be started when they enter hypnotic phase.
Objective
To investigate the effectiveness of VR technology to burn patients during dressing change.
Methodology
A single center prospective study during January 2021 to January 2023. Adult acute burn patients (except facial burn) with normal vision and aural comprehension were recruited.
The recruited patients will be assessed as standard treatment, another treatment assessment with the use of VR system in the following day. Same dosage oral analgesic is administrated during both assessments. Data include Blood pressure, Pulse, Visual Analogue scale (VAS) and the Speilberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) are collected. Also, patient satisfaction of VR (5-point scale).
Result
Total 40 adult burn patients (55% male) completed study. Age ranged from 19 to 76. TBSA ranged from 1% to 33 % burn. They had significantly less pain when use VR with oral analgesic. They reported less anxiety (P< 0.01, paired t-test) when immersed into VR environment and able to relax when concentrated on the VR scene and soft voice. Their systolic BP were lowered (P< 0.01) and pulse was decreased (P< 0.01) with use VR after completion of procedure. All patients agreed use VR with oral analgesic for dressing change were effective. Conclusion The implementation of VR technology made benefit to burn patients during dressing change. The result evidenced from both of their physiological change and emotion response.

Biography

Ms. Wong Tze Wing is a Nurse Consultant in Burns Centre, Hong Kong. She had more than 28 years of burn management experience and lead burn nursing development. She developed advanced practices in burn specialty, aiming at early wound healing progress, prevention of complications and therapeutic rehabilitation. She conducted specialty lectures to the Universities in Hong Kong and the Key coordinator of Emergency Management of Severe Burns course in Hong Kong. Ms. Wong is currently follows of the Hong Kong Academy of Nursing in the College of Surgical Nursing and in the Hong Kong College of Education and Research Nursing.