Examination of the effects of virtual reality glasses and stress ball applications on pain, vital signs, anxiety, fear, satisfaction, and comfort levels during the dressing changes in patients who underwent abdominal surgery

This study aims to examine the effect of virtual reality glasses and stress ball application on pain, vital signs, anxiety, fear, satisfaction, and comfort levels during dressing change in patients who have undergone abdominal surgery. This research is a randomized experimental study with pretest-posttest control group design. The study was conducted between August and November 2024 in the General Surgery Ward of Isparta City Hospital. A total of 156 patients who underwent abdominal surgery and met the sampling criteria were included in the study: 52 in the Virtual Reality Group, 52 in the Stress Ball Group, and 52 in the Control Group. Data were collected using the Socio-Demographic and Clinical Characteristics Form, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, and Visual Analog Scale. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, t-test, chi-square, and one-way analysis of variance appropriate to the study's objectives. The mean age of the patients was 56.40±16.77 (range 18–88 years) in the Virtual Reality group, 57.19±16.07 (range 21–83 years) in the Stress Ball group, and 54.88±17.19 (range 24–81 years) in the Control group. It was seen that 55.8% of the patients in the Virtual Reality and Stress Ball groups and 57.7% in the Control group were female. Patients who were given the virtual reality glasses and stress ball during dressing change reported higher levels of comfort compared to the control group. Anxiety was found to be lower in the intervention groups that used Visual Reality glasses and stress ball compared to the control group. Patients in the virtual reality headset group experienced higher levels of fear during dressing change compared to the other groups (p < 0.05). No statistically significant difference was found among the groups in terms of pain, vital signs, and satisfaction. The use of virtual reality glasses and stress ball application during dressing changes is recommended as an effective intervention to increase comfort levels and reduce anxiety in patients. However, further studies using different methods in diverse samples are recommended to reach evidence-based conclusions.