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NCT Number: NCT07379450

Effectiveness of Virtual Reality-enhanced Interventions on Preoperative Anxiety in Adults Undergoing Elective Surgery

Brief Summary: Preoperative anxiety is a common phenomenon in surgical patients, with a pooled global prevalence of 48%. Surgical patients with preoperative anxiety may negatively impact their psychological health and surgical outcomes. Recent studies have revealed the promising effects of virtual reality-enhanced interventions to improve preoperative anxiety symptoms among adults undergoing elective surgery.

There is a lack of interventional studies to compare and evaluate the co-designed preoperative virtual reality-enhanced interventions in adult surgical patients.

This study aims to examine the effects of co-designed virtual reality educational video and virtual reality distraction video on preoperative anxiety symptoms, vital signs, Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS), and postoperative anxiety compared to usual care. This study will contribute by evaluating evidence-based, user-centered VIPA that may be effective for improving preoperative anxiety among adult surgical patients.

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Key information

Conditions

Preoperative Anxiety

Age range

18 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

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

Inclusion criteria

  • Age aged ≥18 years old
  • Surgical patients attending Nurse Pre-anaesthetic Assessment Clinic (NPAC)
  • American Society of Anesthesiology (ASA) physical status ASA I or ASA II
  • Able to communicate in Chinese

Exclusion criteria

  • Patients who have a cognitive, communication or physical impairment precluding their ability to complete the study
  • Patients who are prone to epilepsy or other neurological conditions

Treatment and study plan

Virtual Reality

Other

The Virtual Reality-enhanced Interventions on Preoperative Anxiety for adults undergoing elective surgery (VIPA) was developed based on theoretical basis, systematic review evidence, and qualitative study.

Primary outcomes

  1. Preoperative anxiety

    Time frame: Baseline, Immediate post-intervention, Day of surgery

    Preoperative anxiety will be measured using the Short Chinese Version of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (Du et al., 2022). Items are rated on a 4-point Likert scale ranging from 1 to 4, with higher scores indicating higher anxiety. The Short Chinese Version of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory demonstrates good psychometric properties.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Heart rate

    Time frame: Baseline, Immediate post-intervention, Day of surgery

    Heart rate will be measured in beats per minute (bpm) using physiological monitors to provide a more objective measurement for anxiety.

  2. Blood pressure

    Time frame: Baseline, Immediate post-intervention, Day of surgery

    Blood pressure will be measured in millimeters of mercury (mmHg) using physiological monitors to provide a more objective measurement for anxiety.

  3. Temperature

    Time frame: Baseline, Immediate post-intervention, Day of surgery

    Temperature will be measured in degrees Celsius (°C) using tympanic thermometers to provide a more objective measurement for anxiety.

  4. Life satisfaction

    Time frame: Baseline, Immediate post-intervention, Day of surgery, Post-operative day 7

    Life satisfaction will be measured using the Chinese version of Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS) (Diener et al., 1985). Items are rated on a 7-point Likert scale ranging from 1 to 7, with higher scores indicating higher life satisfaction. The Chinese version of Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS) demonstrates good psychometric properties (Wu & Yao, 2006).

  5. Evaluation of Virtual reality-enhanced interventions questionnaire

    Time frame: Immediate post-intervention

    Virtual reality-enhanced interventions questionnaire was developed to evaluate virtual reality-enhanced interventions in terms of programme content, content adequacy, content usefulness, willingness to recommend others, satisfaction, and improvement suggestions. The questions are either 4-point Likert scale or open-end questions. The score ranges from 1 to 4, higher scores indicate higher satisfcation and higher agreement.

  6. Postoperative anxiety

    Time frame: Post-operative day 7

    Postoperative anxiety will be measured using the Short Chinese Version of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (Du et al., 2022). Items are rated on a 4-point Likert scale ranging from 1 to 4, with higher scores indicating higher anxiety. The Short Chinese Version of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory demonstrates good psychometric properties.

Study contacts

Contact information is provided by the study sponsor or research team.

Sin Lun CHAN

CONTACT

[email protected]

+852-44347185

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Sin Lun CHAN

Other

Registry information

Official study title

Official Title: Effectiveness of Virtual Reality-enhanced Interventions on Preoperative Anxiety in Adults Undergoing Elective Surgery: A 3-arm Randomised Controlled Trial

Acronym: VIPA

Important dates

Study start
2026
Primary completion
2026
Study completion
2026
First posted
Jan 30, 2026
Registry last updated
May 27, 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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