Use of Virtual Reality in Active Labor
Last updated on July 2021Recruitment
- Recruitment Status
- Not yet recruiting
- Estimated Enrollment
- Same as current
Summary
- Conditions
- Labor Pain
- Type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Not Applicable
- Design
- Allocation: RandomizedIntervention Model: Parallel AssignmentMasking: None (Open Label)Primary Purpose: Prevention
Participation Requirements
- Age
- Between 18 years and 45 years
- Gender
- Only males
Description
Labor is widely recognized as one of the most painful experience possible. The standard analgesic treatment currently consists of pharmacological methods. Adverse effects, complication risks, psychological effects, limit these techniques as well as high costs. These limits concurred to the applicati...
Labor is widely recognized as one of the most painful experience possible. The standard analgesic treatment currently consists of pharmacological methods. Adverse effects, complication risks, psychological effects, limit these techniques as well as high costs. These limits concurred to the application of these techniques mainly on demand and not routinely. For all these reasons, it is not surprising the interest in offering women valid non-invasive and cheaper options to relieve them from pain. As of today many alternative techniques have been proposed, many of which have not, as of today, met a large scientific consensus, as shown by many recent Cochrane reviews. A promising perspective for non-pharmacological analgesia seems to be offered by Virtual Reality (VR) devices, which have been applied to many different medical areas. Recently Frey et al. have experimented in a pilot study the application of this technique to women during labor, obtaining interesting results. The authors of this study point, in the discussion of the scientific paper, to the necessity of developing virtual reality experiences more specific to labor and suggest different implementations, such as specific instructions for women (changes of position, breathing techniques) greater comfort (it is worth noticing the use on our side of exclusively wireless devices) and the implementation of the device with biofeedback. In addition to learning from these suggestions, we tried to imagine VR in a different way: firstly as complementary, not alternative to the role of the midwife personnel, who will play a central role in our experimental treatment enriching the virtual reality scenario with their instructions, presence and motivational feedback; secondly we tried to imagine VR as a guide through labor, more than a alienation and distraction tool.
Tracking Information
- NCT #
- NCT04862039
- Collaborators
- Not Provided
- Investigators
- Not Provided