The Effect of the Operating Room Tour Watched with a 3D Virtual Reality Headset on Children's Fear and Anxiety before the Surgery -- A Randomized Controlled Study

A Virtual reality (VR) tour of the operating theatre can provide a realistic experience for children. The sample of children was allocated to VR-Documentary Film Group (n = 35), VR-Operating Theater Tour Group (n = 35) and Control Group (n = 35) using randomization and experimental study. The preoperative fear of the children was assessed (Child Fear Scale-CFS and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory for Children-STAIC for children) by children themselves and their parents, and their preoperative anxiety was assessed (Children's Anxiety Meter-CAM-S) by themselves. Children's fear and anxiety scores decreased in the VR-Operating Theater Tour and VR-Documentary Film groups. In these two groups, there was a significant difference between the CAM-S scores reflecting the children's evaluations and the CFS scores reflecting the children's and their parents' evaluations, and their post-test scores were lower than their pre-test scores. Children's watching actual operating theatre tour virtually was determined as an effective method in reducing children's preoperative fear and anxiety levels.