IV Insertion in the Emergency DepartmentNCT03435367
Immersive Virtual Reality to Reduce Procedural Pain During IV Insertion in Children in the Emergency Department
A study testing Virtual Reality Program and iPad Tablet in people with IV Insertion in the Emergency Department, run by The Hospital for Sick Children at 1 site in Canada.
Trial summary
Venipuncture and intravenous (IV) access continue to be the most common causes of pain and distress among children in the pediatric emergency department. Virtual reality has been successful for reducing pain and fear in many clinical scenarios, including port access in oncology patients, anxiety disorders, phobias… Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 8 to 18 years
- Conditions the study is for
- IV Insertion in the Emergency Department
- What is being tested?
- Virtual Reality Program and iPad Tablet
- Type of treatment
- Pill or oral medicine, Medical device
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 58 participants
- Where
- 1 siteCanada
- Study dates
- 1 Feb 2018to 30 Sep 2019
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- None posted in the registry
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 8 to 18 years
- All sexes
- No healthy volunteers
- Child, Adult
Who may be able to join
- aged 8-17 years
- able to speak and understand English
- parent/guardian present
- medically stable (CTAS 2, 3, 4 or 5; IV insertion +/-20 minutes will not impact the safety of the patient according to treating medical team)
- requires IV insertion
Who cannot join
- visual, auditory or cognitive impairments precluding interaction with the VR intervention or reporting pain and fear
- psychiatric conditions that could be exacerbated by the VR environment (i.e. hallucinations)
- skin, face or ear infections or injuries, which could contaminate the intervention equipment
- medically unstable (CTAS 1; patient requires immediate IV insertion)
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
About this study
Official title: Immersive Virtual Reality to Reduce Procedural Pain During IV Insertion in Children in the Emergency Department: A Feasibility Pilot Study
Venipuncture and intravenous (IV) access continue to be the most common causes of pain and distress among children in the pediatric emergency department. Virtual reality has been successful for reducing pain and fear in many clinical scenarios, including port access in oncology patients, anxiety disorders, phobias, burn and wound care and others. There is only one previous study examining virtual reality distraction to reduce procedural pain during IV insertion in pediatric patients and no previous studies examining this in the emergency department setting. In this study, the investigators will compare immersive virtual reality (an interactive underwater environment) to the current standard (tablet device/iPad playing a movie) for distraction to reduce procedural pain during IV insertion. The investigators hypothesize that the immersive quality of the virtual reality will reduce patient's pain scores, fear scores and tachycardia during and after the procedure, and have minimal effect on departmental flow and nursing satisfaction. If this feasibility pilot study yields positive results, the investigators plan to expand to a larger randomized control trial.
Read the detailed description
This study is a pilot randomized control trial that aims to (a) to determine the differences in self-reported and proxy-reported pain and fear during IV insertion between the interactive VR intervention and control group, and (b) to assess the feasibility (safety, acceptability) of the VR intervention to children/families and the healthcare team in the pediatric emergency department. The study will consist of two study arms, where both study arms will be screened and recruited using the same procedure. Participants will be randomized into either (1) Control group: child life specialist plays an age-appropriate video on a tablet device, or (2) Intervention (VR Distraction): child life specialist facilitates immersive VR experience. Both the intervention and control groups will receive standard medical care (e.g., topical anesthetics). A convenience sample of 80 children and adolescents with cancer (40 participants per treatment arm; 20 boys and 20 girls per treatment arm) will be recruited. In addition to usual care, children in the experimental condition will wear the VR headset plus headphones. In the control condition, children will watch a video (i.e., an age-appropriate video selected by an emergency department affiliated child life specialist) on an iPad, while wearing the same headphones as in the experimental condition. Implementation outcomes include accrual and retention rates, acceptability and technical difficulties. Effectiveness outcomes include child pain, distress, and fear, as well as parent distress.
- Conditions
- IV Insertion in the Emergency Department
- Being tested
- Virtual Reality Program, iPad Tablet
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Virtual Reality ProgramDevice
VR with head mounted display (HMD) and headphones.
iPad TabletDevice
iPad with headphones
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Intervention Group (VR) | Experimental | The patient will be allowed to 'try-out' the VR system (including all auditory and visual features) for ~5 minutes prior to the start of the procedure. In addition to usual care, consisting of child-life presence and topical analgesics if ordered by the treating medical team, children in the experimental condition will wear the VR HMD plus headphones and hold the VR controller. Receives: Device: Virtual Reality Program |
| Control Group (Standard Care - Video) | Active comparator | The patient will be allowed to watch an age-appropriate video on a tablet device. The patient will be offered to wear the same headphones as in the experimental condition. The patient will have the tablet and headphones for ~5 minutes prior to the start of the procedure. In addition, the patient will receive standard care consisting of a child life specialist and topical analgesics (if ordered by the treating medical team). Receives: Device: iPad Tablet |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Change in Pain Intensity
Using an 11 point Numerical Rating Scale (NRS) (0 being no distress at all and 10 being the most distress you can imagine this child or you having) children will self-report their pain and parents, nurses and the researcher will report children's pain BOTH prior to and following the procedure.
Measured: Baseline, 30 minutes after baseline
Change in Child Distress
Using an 11 point Numerical Rating Scale (NRS) (0 being no distress at all and 10 being the most distress you can imagine this child or you having) children will self-report their distress and parents, nurses and the researcher will report children's distress BOTH prior to and following the procedure
Measured: Baseline, 30 minutes after baseline
Change in Child Fear
Children will report fear BOTH prior to and following the procedure using the Child Fear Scale (CFS) which is a 5-face visual scale that measures fear intensity and is validated in children as young as 5 years. It consists of a 1-question scale rating fear from 0 - 4, based on the faces provided. A higher number represents higher fear intensity.
Measured: Baseline, 30 minutes after baseline
Child Pain Catastrophizing
Children will report baseline tendencies to catastrophize about pain using the Pain Catastrophizing Scale - Child (PCS-C). This is a self-report measure of children's tendency to catastrophize about pain validated in children 8-18 years of age. 6-items responded to on an 11-point scale from 0 ("not at all") to 10 ("a lot"), with a higher number representing higher pain catastrophizing.
Measured: Baseline
Parent Pain Catastrophizing
Parents will report baseline tendencies to catastrophize about their child's pain using the Pain Catastrophizing Scale - Parent (PCS-P), which is a self-report measure of parents' tendency to catastrophize about their child's pain validated in parents of children 8-18 years of age. 6-items responded to on an 11-point scale from 0 ("not at all") to 10 ("a lot"), with a higher number representing higher parental pain catastrophizing of their child's pain.
Measured: Baseline
Parent Distress
Parents will report on their own level of distress following the child's procedure using the Parent Distress Questionnaire. This measure consists of 4-items responded to on an 11-point numeric rating scale from 0 ("not at all") to 10 ("extremely"). A higher number value represents higher distress levels.
Measured: 30 minutes after baseline measures are completed
Child Presence Measure
This child self-report measure assesses effectiveness of the immersive aspect of the VR toolkit/iPad using 12 questions, a choice of three answers ("no", "a little", and "a lot").
Measured: 30 minutes after baseline measures are completed
Secondary outcomes (4)
Recruitment log
Using an investigator-generated recruitment log, accrual rates will be measured by counting the number eligible children per recruitment day, participants enrolled, reasons for ineligibility, reasons for non-participation and reasons for study attrition.
Measured: through study completion, an average of 1 year
Acceptability
Measured using the VR Distraction Satisfaction Questionnaire completed by children, parents and nurses and will collect data on acceptability, perceived utility of pain reducing procedures, and recommendations for changes related to the needle insertion experience.
Measured: 30 minutes after baseline measures are completed
Outcome measure feasibility
Will be measured as the percentage of completed outcome measures at baseline and study completion and will be recorded on the VR Distraction Activity Log.
Measured: through study completion, an average of 1 year
Technical Difficulties Log
Using an investigator-generated technical difficulties log, researchers will record data related to technical difficulties associated with the VR intervention, observed difficulties in implementing the trial protocol in the clinic and time to complete IV needle insertion.
Measured: through study completion, an average of 1 year
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted19 Feb 2018
- Study start1 Feb 2018
- Primary completion30 Sep 2019
- Study completion30 Sep 2019
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for IV Insertion in the Emergency DepartmentStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Single blind
- Who is masked
- Outcomes assessor
- Enrolment
- 58 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- The Hospital for Sick Children
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Jennifer Stinson, The Hospital for Sick Children
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT03435367
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- 1000058799
- Status last verified
- Oct 2019
- First submitted
- 19 Jan 2018
- Last updated
- 9 Oct 2019
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 9 Oct 2019. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Immersive Virtual Reality to Reduce Procedural Pain During IV Insertion in Children in the Emergency Department: A Feasibility Pilot Study
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT03435367
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- 1000058799
- Conditions
- IV Insertion in the Emergency Department
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 58 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- The Hospital for Sick ChildrenUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- 1 Feb 2018 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 30 Sep 2019 (actual)
- Study completion
- 30 Sep 2019 (actual)
- First posted
- 19 Feb 2018 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
Venipuncture and intravenous (IV) access continue to be the most common causes of pain and distress among children in the pediatric emergency department. Virtual reality has been successful for reducing pain and fear in many clinical scenarios, including port access in oncology patients, anxiety disorders, phobias, burn and wound care and others. There is only one previous study examining virtual reality distraction to reduce procedural pain during IV insertion in pediatric patients and no previous studies examining this in the emergency department setting. In this study, the investigators will compare immersive virtual reality (an interactive underwater environment) to the current standard (tablet device/iPad playing a movie) for distraction to reduce procedural pain during IV insertion. The investigators hypothesize that the immersive quality of the virtual reality will reduce patient's pain scores, fear scores and tachycardia during and after the procedure, and have minimal effect on departmental flow and nursing satisfaction. If this feasibility pilot study yields positive results, the investigators plan to expand to a larger randomized control trial.
Detailed description
This study is a pilot randomized control trial that aims to (a) to determine the differences in self-reported and proxy-reported pain and fear during IV insertion between the interactive VR intervention and control group, and (b) to assess the feasibility (safety, acceptability) of the VR intervention to children/families and the healthcare team in the pediatric emergency department. The study will consist of two study arms, where both study arms will be screened and recruited using the same procedure. Participants will be randomized into either (1) Control group: child life specialist plays an age-appropriate video on a tablet device, or (2) Intervention (VR Distraction): child life specialist facilitates immersive VR experience. Both the intervention and control groups will receive standard medical care (e.g., topical anesthetics). A convenience sample of 80 children and adolescents with cancer (40 participants per treatment arm; 20 boys and 20 girls per treatment arm) will be recruited. In addition to usual care, children in the experimental condition will wear the VR headset plus headphones. In the control condition, children will watch a video (i.e., an age-appropriate video selected by an emergency department affiliated child life specialist) on an iPad, while wearing the same headphones as in the experimental condition. Implementation outcomes include accrual and retention rates, acceptability and technical difficulties. Effectiveness outcomes include child pain, distress, and fear, as well as parent distress.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Single blind (outcomes assessor)
- Number of arms
- 2
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Intervention Group (VR) | Experimental | Device: Virtual Reality ProgramThe patient will be allowed to 'try-out' the VR system (including all auditory and visual features) for ~5 minutes prior to the start of the procedure. In addition to usual care, consisting of child-life presence and topical analgesics if ordered by the treating medical team, children in the experimental condition will wear the VR HMD plus headphones and hold the VR controller. |
| Control Group (Standard Care - Video) | Active comparator | Device: iPad TabletThe patient will be allowed to watch an age-appropriate video on a tablet device. The patient will be offered to wear the same headphones as in the experimental condition. The patient will have the tablet and headphones for ~5 minutes prior to the start of the procedure. In addition, the patient will receive standard care consisting of a child life specialist and topical analgesics (if ordered by the treating medical team). |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 8 to 18 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Child, Adult
Key inclusion criteria (5 listed)
- aged 8-17 years
- able to speak and understand English
- parent/guardian present
- medically stable (CTAS 2, 3, 4 or 5; IV insertion +/-20 minutes will not impact the safety of the patient according to treating medical team)
- requires IV insertion
Key exclusion criteria (4 listed)
- visual, auditory or cognitive impairments precluding interaction with the VR intervention or reporting pain and fear
- psychiatric conditions that could be exacerbated by the VR environment (i.e. hallucinations)
- skin, face or ear infections or injuries, which could contaminate the intervention equipment
- medically unstable (CTAS 1; patient requires immediate IV insertion)
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Virtual Reality ProgramVR with head mounted display (HMD) and headphones. | Device | Intervention Group (VR) |
| iPad TabletiPad with headphones | Device | Control Group (Standard Care - Video) |
Primary outcome
Change in Pain Intensity
Time frame: Baseline, 30 minutes after baseline
Using an 11 point Numerical Rating Scale (NRS) (0 being no distress at all and 10 being the most distress you can imagine this child or you having) children will self-report their pain and parents, nurses and the researcher will report children's pain BOTH prior to and following the procedure.
Change in Child Distress
Time frame: Baseline, 30 minutes after baseline
Using an 11 point Numerical Rating Scale (NRS) (0 being no distress at all and 10 being the most distress you can imagine this child or you having) children will self-report their distress and parents, nurses and the researcher will report children's distress BOTH prior to and following the procedure
Change in Child Fear
Time frame: Baseline, 30 minutes after baseline
Children will report fear BOTH prior to and following the procedure using the Child Fear Scale (CFS) which is a 5-face visual scale that measures fear intensity and is validated in children as young as 5 years. It consists of a 1-question scale rating fear from 0 - 4, based on the faces provided. A higher number represents higher fear intensity.
Child Pain Catastrophizing
Time frame: Baseline
Children will report baseline tendencies to catastrophize about pain using the Pain Catastrophizing Scale - Child (PCS-C). This is a self-report measure of children's tendency to catastrophize about pain validated in children 8-18 years of age. 6-items responded to on an 11-point scale from 0 ("not at all") to 10 ("a lot"), with a higher number representing higher pain catastrophizing.
Parent Pain Catastrophizing
Time frame: Baseline
Parents will report baseline tendencies to catastrophize about their child's pain using the Pain Catastrophizing Scale - Parent (PCS-P), which is a self-report measure of parents' tendency to catastrophize about their child's pain validated in parents of children 8-18 years of age. 6-items responded to on an 11-point scale from 0 ("not at all") to 10 ("a lot"), with a higher number representing higher parental pain catastrophizing of their child's pain.
Parent Distress
Time frame: 30 minutes after baseline measures are completed
Parents will report on their own level of distress following the child's procedure using the Parent Distress Questionnaire. This measure consists of 4-items responded to on an 11-point numeric rating scale from 0 ("not at all") to 10 ("extremely"). A higher number value represents higher distress levels.
Child Presence Measure
Time frame: 30 minutes after baseline measures are completed
This child self-report measure assesses effectiveness of the immersive aspect of the VR toolkit/iPad using 12 questions, a choice of three answers ("no", "a little", and "a lot").
4 secondary outcomes
Recruitment log
Time frame: through study completion, an average of 1 year
Acceptability
Time frame: 30 minutes after baseline measures are completed
Outcome measure feasibility
Time frame: through study completion, an average of 1 year
Technical Difficulties Log
Time frame: through study completion, an average of 1 year
Results and safety
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 9 Oct 2019.
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
The record lists no contact. Use the official record to reach the sponsor.
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Virtual Reality Program and iPad Tablet in people with IV Insertion in the Emergency Department, run by The Hospital for Sick Children at 1 site in Canada.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 5 inclusion and 4 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 9 Oct 2019. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in Canada. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Change in Pain Intensity (time frame: Baseline, 30 minutes after baseline). The study lists 7 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 9 Oct 2019.