Application of Virtual Reality in Pain Management

Introduction: Virtual Reality (VR) technology is developing rapidly in the last decade. The availability of affordable VR devices increases the use of VR in many sectors. VR is used as a platform for learning, entertainment, and medical profession. In the medical profession, VR is used in many aspects, ranging from medical education, training healthcare providers, medical intervention, and rehabilitation. This review aims to explore the potential application of VR in pain management. Methods: Manuscripts were searched in PubMed, Cochrane Library, and PubMed Central. The search results underwent deduplication process. The remaining articles were screened based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria by reading titles and abstracts as the primary filter. The article that met the criteria underwent full read as a secondary filter. Results: A total of 2401 articles were identified. Overall, six articles were included in this review. The application of VR is based on distracting patient’s attention to reduce the perception of pain. Four articles showed advantage of VR in pain management. Two articles showed no difference between VR-based pain management and the control group. Conclusion: The emergence of affordable VR devices boosts the utilization of VR-based technology in pain management. However, their use still requires larger data and verification.