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OpenTrials
Enrolling by invitation

NCT Number: NCT07778069

VR for Steroid Joint Injections - Feasibility

The goal of the project is to implement virtual reality for pain and anxiety management for patients undergoing intra-articular glucocorticoid injections in the outpatient pediatric rheumatology clinic.

Enrolling by invitation

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Key information

Conditions

Acute Pain Juvenile Idiopahtic Arthritis Neurologic Manifestations Pain Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms Procedural Anxiety Signs and Symptoms

Age range

5 year–17 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Nationwide Children's Hospital

Columbus, Ohio, 43205, United States

About this study

To assess feasibility of VR use in the clinic, 10 patients will be recruited to use VR during non-sedated intra-articular (IA) glucocorticoid injections. All patients will be offered our typical analgesia (LMX topical cream, freeze spray, lidocaine injection). Patients and caregivers will be asked to fill out pre-injection and post-injection surveys, and staff (rheumatology clinic nurses) will be asked for feedback regarding feasibility of VR in clinical workflows.

The specific aims of the study are to:

Aim 1: Assess the feasibility and efficacy of VR use to reduce pain in patients undergoing non-sedated IA glucocorticoid injections at Nationwide Children's Hospital

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • rheumatology patients (5-17 years old) who are undergoing an IA glucocorticoid injection in the Nationwide Children's Rheumatology Clinic,
  • have a legal guardian present for patients less than 18 years old for the procedure (for informed consent), and
  • can communicate orally.

Exclusion criteria

  • any wounds that may interfere with study procedures,
  • vision, hearing, or cognitive/motor impairments preventing valid administration of study measures,
  • history of motion sickness, seizure disorder, dizziness, or migraine headaches precipitated by visual auras,
  • minors in foster care,
  • unable to communicate in English,
  • pregnant women, or
  • prisoners

Treatment and study plan

VR-PAT

Other

Virtual Reality Pain Alleviation Therapeutic (VR-PAT) via a Pico Neo3 Pro Eye

Primary outcomes

  1. Practicality/utility of the VR experience as a pain and anxiety management tool for IA joint injection procedures

    Time frame: Immediately following the IA joint injection procedure

    Assessed by the nurse answering the following questions: "Is this distraction tool helpful during joint injection procedures (Yes/No)?" and "Is this distraction tool easy to use during joint injections (Yes/No)?"

Secondary outcomes

  1. Self-reported change procedural anxiety

    Time frame: Immediately before the IA joint injection procedure and immediately after

    0-10 Numerical Rating Scale (NRS) (self-reported), 0(min)-10(max), with higher score indicating worse anxiety.

  2. Self-reported pain

    Time frame: Immediately following the IA joint injection procedure

    0-10 Numerical Rating Scale (NRS) (self-reported), 0(min)-10(max), with higher score indicating worse pain. Asked for worst pain, average pain, and time spent thinking about pain.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Nationwide Children's Hospital

Other

Registry information

Official study title

Virtual Reality Implementation for Pain and Anxiety Management During Intra-articular Glucocorticoid Injections in a Pediatric Rheumatology Clinic

Important dates

Study start
2026
Primary completion
2029
Study completion
2029
First posted
Aug 21, 2026
Registry last updated
Aug 21, 2026

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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