Procedural Anxiety

Operation Calm is a single-arm, mixed-methods feasibility study evaluating a virtual reality (VR) nature-based mindfulness intervention with children and adolescents aged 6-17 years, parents, and clinicians. Children complete one guided mindfulness session combining an immersive 360° nature environment with breathing, sensory awareness, and grounding exercises. Parents and clinicians view the intervention through a secure online link. The study examines feasibility, acceptability, engagement, usability, perceived usefulness, and child tolerability. It also explores immediate changes in children's anxiety, calmness, state mindfulness, and nature connectedness. Feedback from children, parents, and clinicians will guide further refinement of Operation Calm before it is evaluated in a larger clinical study.

This randomized controlled trial aims to determine whether white noise affects salivary cortisol levels and vital signs in adult patients undergoing gastroscopy. Participants will be randomly assigned to either a white noise group or a control group receiving routine care. Patients in the intervention group will listen to white noise in accordance with the study protocol. Saliva samples will be collected to assess cortisol levels, and vital signs will be measured at predetermined time points. The results of the two groups will be compared to evaluate whether white noise helps reduce the physiological stress response associated with gastroscopy.

This study evaluates whether virtual reality (VR) audiovisual distraction can reduce pain, anxiety, and the need for pain and anxiety medications during prone pain procedures, compared to standard care alone. The trial design is a two-arm, parallel assignment, randomized controlled trial at a single site, the UC Davis Pain Medicine Clinic. Patients will be randomized in a 1:1 allocation to the intervention (commercially available virtual reality headset (Meta Quest 3) with audiovisual calming nature scene and an ergonomic cushion/support) vs control (standard medical care). The primary outcome will be a composite outcome analyzed using the Win Ratio method comparing opioid/sedative medication use, intra-procedural pain scores, and intra-procedural anxiety scores between groups. Approximately 230 people at UC Davis are expected to participate (Up to 20 patients for the preliminary run-in period to acclimatize research and clinical staff and 210 total for the randomized clinical trial). Each participant's involvement consists of one visit, estimated at 30 minutes.

This study is looking at whether listening to music during a nail biopsy can reduce pain and anxiety. Patients scheduled for a nail biopsy at the Weill Cornell Medicine dermatology clinic will be randomly assigned to either listen to a calming instrumental/classical music playlist during their procedure or receive standard care without music. After the procedure, participants will complete short questionnaires rating their pain, anxiety, and overall satisfaction. The goal is to determine whether a simple, low-cost music intervention can improve the experience of patients undergoing nail biopsies.

The goal of this randomized trial is to investigate if using virtual reality (VR) glasses for patients who require non-emergent oral surgery procedures under intravenous (IV) sedation improves their overall experience compared to using standard of care safety glasses. This study has two primary objectives. 1. To evaluate if VR glasses can improve patient tolerance during IV access, sedation induction, and the surgical procedure. 2. To investigate whether the use of VR glasses reduces the amount of sedation required for induction and throughout the oral surgery procedure. 80 subjects will be randomly assigned 1:1 to either wear VR glasses playing a relaxing video and audio or VR glasses that will only serve as eye protection (control group).

This prospective randomized controlled trial will evaluate whether virtual reality can reduce procedural distress in children undergoing cast application for forearm fractures. Children will be assigned to either a virtual reality group or a standard care group. In the virtual reality group, children will watch a 3-minute child-friendly animated educational video using a VR headset during cast application. The video explains the casting procedure, how to protect the cast, and what the child should do after the cast is applied. The study will compare pain, anxiety, heart rate response, caregiver anxiety, and procedure-related fear between the two groups. The casting team will assess the child during the procedure. One day after cast application, each child will undergo an approximately 30-minute evaluation by a child psychiatry clinician who is blinded to group allocation. This follow-up assessment will evaluate the child's current anxiety, anxiety related to the cast experience, fear of returning to the hospital or doctor, and fear-related behaviors after the procedure.

This prospective, randomized controlled trial aims to determine the effects of stress ball use and empathic verbal communication with therapeutic touch on anxiety and pain perception in women undergoing mammography and breast ultrasonography. The study will be conducted between May and September 2026 at Istanbul Bakırköy Dr. Sadi Konuk Training and Research Hospital. A total of 122 women meeting the inclusion criteria will be randomly assigned into three groups: stress ball group (n=41), empathic verbal communication with touch group (n=41), and control group (n=40). Women in the stress ball group will be instructed to use a soft stress ball before and during the procedure. Participants in the empathic verbal-tactile group will receive structured verbal empathy combined with therapeutic touch. The control group will receive routine care without additional intervention. Data will be collected before and after the procedures using a Descriptive Characteristics Form, the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, and a Numerical Rating Scale for pain assessment. The findings of this study are expected to provide evidence on the effectiveness of non-pharmacological interventions in reducing anxiety and pain during breast imaging procedures.

This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of a video-based educational intervention in reducing anxiety among hospitalised patients scheduled for elective percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Participants will be assigned to either a video intervention group or a control group without randomisation. The intervention group will receive a structured educational video related to the PCI procedure, while the control group will receive usual care. Anxiety levels will be measured using the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory at baseline and after the intervention to determine whether the video intervention reduces anxiety before the procedure.

The goal of this clinical trial is to to utilize Virtual Reality during their interventional radiology procedure to help reduce any pain and anxiety experienced during the procedure in patients above the age of 8 undergoing interventional radiology procedures. The main questions it aims to answer are: * To determine if Virtual Reality is more effective than standard care for reducing pain and anxiety in children undergoing painful interventional radiology procedures. It is hypothesized that children in the Virtual Reality condition will experience reduced pain and anxiety compared to children receiving standard of care. * To evaluate caregiver's assessment of patient distress and their satisfaction with Virtual Reality compared to standard of care. It is hypothesized that caregiver satisfaction with the medical procedure will be significantly greater in the Virtual Reality group compared to the standard of care group. It is hypothesized that caregivers will perceive lower pain/anxiety when their child receives Virtual Reality compared to standard of care. Participants will complete pre and post surveys before and after interventional radiology procedures. Participants will use Virtual Reality headsets while undergoing procedure.

This study is being done to see if nitrous oxide during vasectomy decreases pain and anxiety, and also assess whether patients have better satisfaction when they control their own level of nitrous oxide during the procedure. If we find that patients experience less pain or anxiety with nitrous oxide, it could be suggested that self-adjusted nitrous oxide (SANO) may be a useful tool for improving experience of care during vasectomy.

Ultrasound-guided oocyte retrieval (OR) is a short, but oftentimes painful procedure, during which the follicles are punctured trans-vaginally to obtain oocytes for in vitro fertilization (IVF). Conscious sedation is the most commonly used method of pain relief, yet several studies have shown that more than half of women report moderate to high levels of pain and up to 7% of women report extreme or unacceptable levels of pain during OR. Adjuvant virtual reality (VR) therapy has been explored to reduce psychological stress during dental procedures, burn wound care, colonoscopy, as well as other minor procedures. Hence, the purpose of this study is to evaluate the use of VR technology during IVF treatment, particularly with respect to tolerability, patient satisfaction, and pain reduction during oocyte retrieval.

The goal of this clinical trial is to determine if active virtual reality is more effective than passive virtual reality and standard of care distraction in decreasing pain in children, from 8 to 21 years old, undergoing intravenous placement in emergency department. The main question\[s\] it aims to answer \[is/are\]: * Will active virtual reality reduce pain score on Faces Pain Scale - revised and measure of heart rate during intravenous placement for children ages 8 years old to 21 years old more than passive virtual reality and standard of care? * Will active virtual reality reduce anxiety score on Visual Analog Scale - revised and measure of heart rate during intravenous placement for children ages 8 years old to 21 years old more than passive virtual reality and standard of care? If there is a comparison group: Researchers will compare active group to passive group and standard of care. Participants will randomized into active virtual reality, passive virtual reality or standard of care arms.