PROJECT 2020–2023

Virtual Reality
and Coping
with Procedural Pain
in Burn
Patients

The main aim of the intended project is to reduce feeling of procedural pain (when changing bandages) in burn patients through a developed and pilot-verified application for virtual reality (hereinafter VR).

In addition to pharmacological pain therapy, there are a number of nonpharmacological options (eg, relaxation techniques) that are based on distracting attention from the feeling of pain. VR appears to be the most promising of these options and, in addition to distraction, it also reduces anxiety and depressive symptoms and enhances patient cooperation. The studies also agree on the beneficial role of immersivity; a sense of immersion in VR.

Milestones of the project VRBURNS.EU

Milestones of the project

05 2020
Getting support and starting a project
05–05 2020–21
Pilot verification phase
11 2020
Provision of technical equipment (PC – Eyetrackinkg)
12 2020
Realization of I. Workshop

The workshop took place on 19 December 2020 in FN KV. Part of this workshop was the presentation of the project, the involvement of participants and also answering key questions about the whole organization of the involvement of virtual reality in the dressing of the patients. The medical staff also tried out virtual reality, including its inclusion in the clothes of patients with burn trauma, ie. a checklist has been introduced

12 2020
Pilot version of the application in virtual reality
01 2021
Submission of interim report
01 2021
Pilot verification of VR application on the first patient
05 2021
Realization II. Workshop

At this workshop, the application and virtual reality were presented to the medical staff (especially the dressing nurses and doctors). Emphasis was placed on significant differences from the pilot version of the application. This workshop will take place at FN KV.

05 2021
Application for control group
06–06 2021–23
Data collection
10 2021
Data were collected from ten patients
4 2022
Conference outputs: 12th Congress Of The European Pain Federation EFIC, Dublin

Raudenska, J., Zielina, M., Dostal, D., Javurkova, A. Virtual Reality and Coping With Anxiety and Associated Procedural Pain In Burn Patients – First Connclusion From The Preliminary Data Of The Project. 12th Congress Of The European Pain Federation EFIC. 27. – 30. 4. 2022, Dublin, Ireland.

05 2022
Data were collected from twenty patients
05 2022
Project meeting – Realization of III. Workshop
05 2022
Conference outputs: 22nd Annual Burn Medicine Conference, Ostrava

Doležal, D., Zajíček, R. Virtual reality and procedural pain management in burn trauma patients. 22nd Annual Burn Medicine Conference [Virtuální realita a zvládání procedurální bolesti u pacientů s popáleninovým traumatem. 22.výroční konference popáleninové medicíny]. 19. – 20. 5. 2022, Ostrava

09 2022
Data were collected from thirty patients
9 2022
Confernce outputs: 39nd Psychology days, Olomouc

Šmahaj, J., Zielina, M., Javůrková, A., Raudenská, J., Dostál, D., Doležal, D., Zajíček, R. Possibilities and limits of procedural pain management in burn trauma patients using virtual reality. [Možnosti a limity zvládání procedurální bolesti u pacientů s popáleninovým traumatem pomocí využití virtuální reality]. Psychologické dny 2022., 14. – 16. 9. 2022, Olomouc.

10 2022
Thank you all. However, some milestones are still to come!

The project team would like to thank all patients and medical staff involved in the ongoing research. We look forward to continued collaboration.

11 2022
Participation in the event Biological Research & Application 10/11/2022 at the Institute of Physiology of the CAS

Dr. Zielina presented the project and its partial outputs in the form of preliminary findings with a practical demonstration of the Cold River VR application with the help of Ing. Pohořelský.

12 2022
OSF re-registration process started

The leader of the project added file VR and burns.pdf to OSF Storage with a title of the project Virtual Reality and Coping with Procedural Pain in Burn Patients

12 2022
Publication of Mandate contract No. 036/2022 – transfer of technology

In December (6/12/2022), Mandate Contract No. 036/2022 was published – ensuring factual and legal negotiations for FF UP in order to successfully apply the “Cold River” technology – VR application for reducing pain and anxiety during procedural pain in the form of transfer technology. This contract was published by the Palacký University in Olomouc with the contracting party Charles University Innovations Prague a.s. representing other legal entities participating in the creation and development of the VR application (more here https://smlouvy.gov.cz/smlouva/22620473)

12 2022
Dr. Zielina gave a popularization interview about the topic of the project on the Blueghost podcast

How does VR help in psychology? About digital design in medical science with Martin Zielina.

IN CZECH: https://www.blueghost.cz/clanek/update-jak-pomaha-vr-v-psychologii-o-digitalnim-designu-v-lekarske-vede-s-martinem-zielinou/

01 2023
Submission of interim report
02 2023
Data were collected from forty-five patients
03 2023
OSF Registration of project Virtual Reality and Coping with Procedural Pain in Burn Patients was APRROVED

Registration type: OSF Preregistration

Date registered: March 13, 2023

Associated project: osf.io/3gsrv

Internet Archive link: https://archive.org/details/osf-registrations-gmv79-v1

Category: Project

05 2023
Data collected from already sixty patients
06 2023
Popularization article in Metro.cz- Snow and peace instead of pain

The unpleasantly long and agonizing moments in the dressing rooms of burn centers are being made more pleasant for sixty patients with the help of virtual reality. How to help people with burn trauma manage the pain and anxiety of changing dressings in the dressing room? Read more HERE.

06–12 2023
Publication of project results
06 2023
Participation in the Congress Roma Pain Days, June 15.-17. 2023, Italy

Dr. Raudenská presented a lecture on Virtual Reality, Procedural Pain, and Anxiety in Burn Trauma at the Roma Pain Days 2023 Congress. More info HERE.

07 2023
They wrote about us on the portal Věda výzkum.cz

A unique virtual reality project will help burn patients with pain management. More HERE.

07 2023
Interview in HospitalIn.cz

The interview of Dr. Raudenská and Dr. Javůrková in HospitalIn.cz on the topic: Virtual Reality and Pain Treatment. More info HERE.

09 2023

ACTIVE

Our team presented ongoing results at the EFIC Congress 2023, Pain in Europe XIII, 20-23.9. Budapest

The topic of the poster was: REDUCING ANXIETY AND PROCEDURAL PAIN IN BURN PATIENTS USING VIRTUAL REALITY

More about the EFIC Congress: https://europeanpainfederation.eu/efic2023/

12 2023
Completion of the project
More about the project