FEASIBILITY AND EFFECTIVENESS OF VIRTUAL REALITY FOR INPATIENT POSTOPERATIVE PAIN MANAGEMENT FOLLOWING ELECTIVE LAPAROSCOPIC COLORECTAL SURGERY: A PROSPECTIVE STUDY n.donald@doctors.org.uk

411-02

FEASIBILITY AND EFFECTIVENESS OF VIRTUAL REALITY FOR INPATIENT POSTOPERATIVE PAIN MANAGEMENT FOLLOWING ELECTIVE LAPAROSCOPIC COLORECTAL SURGERY: A PROSPECTIVE STUDY

3

United Kingdom

Oral or Poster

Virtual reality (VR) is an emerging tool in managing post-operative pain as part of a multimodal analgesic strategy. While VR has been studied across various medical settings, its use after surgery remains limited. This study aimed to assess the feasibility and effectiveness of VR following laparoscopic colorectal surgery.

Patients undergoing laparoscopic colorectal surgery were randomized to a control or VR group. All participants rated their pain, anxiety, and overall wellness twice daily on a 10-point Likert scale for up to 5 days. The VR group received a 15-minute VR session twice daily, with scores recorded before and after use. Primary outcomes were feasibility and pain; secondary outcomes included anxiety and wellness.

Eleven patients were recruited: 6 in the VR group and 5 in the control group. 75% of VR sessions were able to be undertaken. Stronger negative correlations were observed in the VR group for pain (-0.48 vs -0.25) and wellness (-0.45 vs -0.25) compared to controls. Mean post-VR scores were lower compared to controls for pain (1.5 vs 4.1), anxiety (1.7 vs 2.6), and wellness (2.2 vs 4.1). From days 3 to 5, differences widened further: pain (0.8 vs 4.0), anxiety (1.2 vs 3.6), and wellness (1.4 vs 3.3).

VR was feasible to implement in a medium-sized acute hospital setting. Patients using VR reported reduced pain and anxiety, and improved wellness compared to controls. The benefit appeared to increase with continued use, suggesting VR may be a valuable adjunct in post-surgical recovery.