Feasibility of In-Home Virtual Reality for Chronic Pain in Sickle Cell Disease.
Nadine Matthie, Melinda Higgins, Ardith Doorenbos and 2 others
PMID 38697889WHAT IT FOUND
In-home virtual reality for chronic pain in sickle cell disease was feasible but had high dropout.
Daily diary completion was 43.6%, and follow-up surveys dropped to 21%. Users reported slight cybersickness but no nausea. This is a test of logistics, not proof the treatment works.
Key findings
01Feasibility was limited by low engagement, with only 43.6% of possible daily pain diary days completed and a 21% response rate for follow-up measures.
02Participants in the VR group reported slight cybersickness symptoms like general discomfort and fatigue, but no nausea was reported.
03Interventions were considered acceptable by those interviewed, with 62.5% likely to recommend them, though time constraints and technical issues were common barriers.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPsWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The sample was very small (19 participants) and from a single site, limiting generalizability. Attrition was high, with only 21% completing follow-up measures, meaning long-term effects and usage patterns are unclear. Audio group usage could not be objectively tracked, relying on self-report. The study was a feasibility pilot, not an efficacy trial, so it cannot determine if the treatment reduces pain. Participants were predominantly female, Black, and had high disease severity, which may not represent the broader sickle cell population. Low cognitive functioning scores in the sample may have influenced intervention use and self-report accuracy.
Declared interests
The study was supported by NIH (Extramural). The intervention was provided by AppliedVR (AVR), a company that develops VR pain management technology. The principal investigator used AVR's EaseVRx program. There is no explicit statement of financial conflicts of interest for the authors, but the use of a proprietary commercial intervention funded by NIH warrants caution regarding potential bias in feasibility assessments.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the significant reduction in headache reports or the high likelihood of recommendation as evidence that VR reduces chronic pain in sickle cell disease. This was a feasibility study with a very small sample and high dropout. The primary outcome was whether the study could be done, not whether the treatment worked. The reduction in headache was a secondary finding in a small subset of VR users and should not be generalized.