The Effect of Virtual Reality Glass and Smartphone Game Application on Preoperative Anxiety in 7-13 Years Children

This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of virtual reality glasses and smartphone game applications on preoperative anxiety in children who have day surgery. The study comprised of 60 children (20 children in a virtual reality glass game application group, 20 children in a smartphone game application group, and 20 children in a control group). The approval of the ethics committee, permissions from the institutions, and informed voluntary approval of the children's were obtained to conduct the research. The data of the research were collected through the Children's Perioperative Multidimensional Anxiety Scale (CPMAS), physiological parameters of children were measured before, after and 90 minutes after the operation, and salivary cortisol sample taken before surgery in all of groups. Children in smartphone game application groups played a game for 15 minutes on a smartphone before the surgical operation, and standard care was given to children. Children in virtual reality game application groups played a game for 15 minutes on virtual reality glasses before the surgical operation, and standard care was given to children. Before the surgical operation, standard care was given to children in control groups. The value of p<0.05 was accepted statistically significant in the data analyses.