The effect of VR headsets used during burn dressing in children on satisfaction and anxiety level of their parents

The aim of this study was to determine the effect of virtual reality used during burn dressing in children on the satisfaction and anxiety levels of their parents. The study, which was designed as a prospective randomized controlled trial, was carried out with the parents of children aged 5–10 years who visited the only burns unit of a hospital in the northern region of Turkiye between 5 July 2021 and 1 April 2022 for dressing. There were a total of 52 participants in the study, 26 in the control and 26 in the intervention group. The mean age of the children was 7.31 ± 1.81 years in the intervention group and 7.08 ± 1.72 in the control group. After the dressing was applied to the children, the mean anxiety score of the parents of the children was found to be 0.09 ± 0.28 in the intervention group and 0.64 ± 0.53 in the control group. The mean nursing care satisfaction score of the parents in the intervention group was found to be 4.70 ± 0.50 while it was 2.80 ± 0.26 in the control group. In the study, while the anxiety levels of the ones in the intervention group decreased after the dressing, their satisfaction levels with nursing care were found higher than the control group. Nursing interventions that would reduce the pain and anxiety experienced by children during medical procedures are also effective in reducing the anxiety of parents, and therefore, they should be included in distraction efforts with their children. •Ensuring health care satisfaction is possible by meeting the expectations of parents.•Parents experience anxiety due to burn dressing to be carried out on their children.•Distraction methods used in children are effective in reducing parents' anxiety.•Using VR with children reduced parents' anxiety and increased their care satisfaction.