SYSTEMATIC REVIEW article
Front. Virtual Real.
Sec. Virtual Reality in Medicine
Volume 6 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/frvir.2025.1651695
Efficacy of virtual reality in pediatric burn patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Provisionally accepted
- 1Ya'an People's Hospital, Ya'an, China
- 2The 945th Hospital of the PLA, Ya'an, 625000, China, Ya'an, China
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Burn care procedures cause significant pain and anxiety in children, often hindering recovery and rehabilitation. Virtual reality (VR) distraction therapy offers a promising non-pharmacological approach. This meta-analysis synthesizes evidence on the efficacy of VR compared to standard care for pediatric burn patients.We systematically searched PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) evaluating VR distraction during burn care procedures in children. Standard care was the comparator. Primary outcomes included pain intensity and anxiety. Secondary outcomes included physiological distress (heart rate), procedural time, and functional improvement (active range of motion -ROM). Data were pooled using random-effects models, calculating standardized mean differences (SMDs) or mean differences (MDs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Risk of bias was assessed using the Cochrane RoB 2 tool.Results: Sixteen RCTs met inclusion criteria. Meta-analysis demonstrated statistically significant benefits favoring VR: VR significantly reduced procedural pain (SMD = -0.92, 95% CI: -1.21 to -0.63; p < 0.001), indicating a large effect. VR significantly reduced procedural anxiety (SMD = -1.05, 95% CI: -1.42 to -0.68; p < 0.001), indicating a large effect. Lower physiological arousal during procedures with VR (MD = -8.72 bpm, 95% CI: -12.35 to -5.09, p < 0.001). VR interventions were associated with significantly shorter procedure durations compared to standard care (MD = -3.24 minutes, 95% CI: -5.01 to -1.47; p < 0.001). VR significantly improved active ROM during rehabilitation sessions (SMD = 0.76, 95% CI: 0.41 to 1.11; p < 0.001), indicating a moderate-to-large effect.Findings from this study indicate that VR has a positive effect on alleviating pain and reducing anxiety in pediatric patients with burn injuries.Registration: PROSPERO (CRD420251058930).
Keywords: burn, pediatric, virtual reality, Pain, Anxiety, Meta-analysis
Received: 04 Jul 2025; Accepted: 08 Aug 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Yang, Yang, Wang and Liu. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Song Liu, The 945th Hospital of the PLA, Ya'an, 625000, China, Ya'an, China
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