Virtual reality takes the fear out of needles for teens
NCT ID NCT07042074
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Aug 19, 2026 · Updated 2 times
Summary
This study tests whether augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) can help teenagers aged 11 to 17 overcome their fear of needles and blood. Participants will use a special headset to gradually face their fears in a safe, computer-generated environment. The goal is to reduce anxiety and make medical procedures less stressful.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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About 20 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Expected to start
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Sep 2026
An estimate. Start dates often move.
- Expected to finish
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Apr 2027
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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11 to 17 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: 1. Patients between the ages of 11-17 2. Fear of needle 3. Patients screened with the modified APA severity Measure for Specific Phobia (blood, needles, or injections), and have an individual phobia score rated as moderate, severe, or extreme (as described below) Exclusion Criteria: 1. Legal guardian not present to obtain consent 2. Adolescent with a significant neurological condition, or major developmental disability 3. Adolescent with active infection of the face or hand 4. A history of severe motion sickness 5. A history of seizures caused by flashing light 6. An impending surgery within the last 48 hours 7. Adolescents who wear glasses and cannot use contacts 8. Adolescents with physical disabilities that prevent them from using their hands 9. Patients with substance use disorder in past year 10. Virtual Reality headsets do not fit.
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As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
The full official record for this study. This one lists no contact details, but it is the first place any would appear.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Lucile Parkard Children's Hospital
Stanford, California, 94304, United States
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