In a recent study published in the journal PLOS ONE , researchers explore the utility of virtual reality (VR) as a non-pharmacological intervention in managing labor pain and anxiety. Study: ‘Giving birth on a beach’: Women’s experiences of using virtual reality in labor. Image Credit: Prostock-studio / Shutterstock.
com Giving birth is a life-changing experience for women that typically causes severe labor pain and anxiety. Aside from its physiological consequences, labor pain is associated with emotional and psychological experiences that trigger a feeling of fulfillment and accomplishment. Pregnant women who want to experience a natural birth often decide to use various non-pharmacological interventions to reduce the intensity of labor pain and associated anxiety, such as heat packs, water immersion, massage, and acupressure.
These interventions increase their self-confidence and level of satisfaction, in addition to allowing them to be responsive to the physiological process of giving birth. Various distraction techniques, including music therapy, visualization, and hypnobirthing, have also been shown to effectively reduce labor pain. Likewise, VR is a promising intervention that has successfully reduced acute pain and anxiety in various healthcare settings.
VR allows users to enter an immersive three-dimensional (3D) computer-generated world using a headset, where they can be exposed to a multi-sensory experience. The therapeutic efficacy of VR for pain relief prima.