The effects of virtual reality glasses on the vital signs and anxiety in patients undergoing colonoscopy

The present study was conducted as a randomized controlled trial with the aim of examining the effects of virtual reality glasses on the vital signs and anxiety in patients undergoing colonoscopy. The present study was conducted with 44 patients who applied to the Endoscopy Unit of a university hospital for sedation-free colonoscopy between January 2, 2020 and September 28, 2020, met the inclusion criteria and agreed to participate in the study. The patients were homogeneously divided into experimental (n=22) and control (n=22) groups based on their gender and history of colonoscopy. The patients in the experimental group watched a 360o VR video with atmospheric background music over images and sounds of nature through virtual reality glasses while no application was performed for the patients in the control group during the procedure. The "Demographic Information Form", "Trait Anxiety Scale", "VAS–P", "VAS–A", "Vital Signs Monitoring Chart" and "Satisfaction Evaluation on the Virtual Reality Glasses Application" forms were used in the data collection phase. For the study, an ethics committee approval was obtained in addition to written consent by the institutions and patients. Numbers, percentages, the Chi-square test, the Wilcoxon test and the Mann-Whitney U test were used for data analysis. As a result of the study, it was found that the patients in the experimental group had significantly lower levels of pain and anxiety, mean systolic blood pressure and mean respiratory rate and significantly higher peripheral oxygen saturation compared to the patients in the control group (p<0.05). It was determined that the majority of the patients in the experimental group (72.7%), who used virtual reality glasses, were satisfied with the application. In conclusion, it was determined that the use of virtual reality glasses had positive effects on the vital signs and anxiety in patients undergoing colonoscopy. In line with these results, it is recommended to establish the widespread use of virtual reality glasses by nurses during colonoscopy. Keywords: Anxiety, colonoscopy, pain, virtual reality glasses, vital signs