Effect of using virtual reality to manage needle phobia in adults undergoing medical procedures: A rapid review

Abstract

Background: Needle phobia, or blood–injection–injury phobia, is a severe form of needle fear that affects from 20 to 50 per cent of adolescents, 20 to 30 per cent of young adults and less than 5 per cent of the older adult population. When faced with venepuncture, approximately 75 per cent of patients with needle phobia will undergo an extreme physiological response which can lead to a vasovagal or fainting episode. An emerging therapy for medical phobias is the use of virtual reality.

Aim: To evaluate the effect of virtual reality on the severity of patient fear or anxiety induced by needle phobia during medical procedures.

Methods: We employed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines to identify studies that used virtual reality to treat or manage needle phobia in adult patients. Two reviewers assessed each article with a third reviewer to resolve disagreements. We searched Medline, Embase, PsycINFO, PubMed and Web of Science from inception to search date. Articles were included if they contained original research and used virtual reality to treat or manage needle phobia in adult patients.

Results: Five articles were included – two randomised controlled trials (RCTs) that used virtual reality exposure therapy for the treatment of needle phobia in adults, one cross-sectional study examining reduction of dental anxiety using virtual reality, and two case studies that used virtual reality as a distraction therapy in adults, one for an adult with needle phobia and
another for an adult with needle induced dental phobia.

Conclusion: We found a paucity of research into virtual reality as either a treatment for needle phobia or as a distraction modality in adult patients. Further research is required to contribute to the evidence on the effectiveness of virtual reality as management or treatment for needle
phobia.