VR goggles replace jitters: kids explore surgery before going under the knife
NCT ID NCT07650695
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study tests whether a virtual reality (VR) tour of the hospital and operating room can help children aged 3 to 12 feel less anxious and scared before elective surgery. Half of the 56 children will use a VR program called NixiKit, while the other half will receive the usual preparation from nurses. Researchers will measure fear, anxiety, cooperation during anesthesia, and pain after surgery to see if VR makes the experience better.
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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 56 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Expected to start
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Jul 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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3 to 12 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.
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Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Children aged 3 to 12 years. * Scheduled for elective surgery under anesthesia. * Parent or legal guardian owns a mobile phone. * Ability to understand simple instructions, according to clinical judgment and developmental level. * Sufficient Spanish language proficiency of the child and at least one parent or legal guardian. * Written informed consent from parents or legal guardians and child assent when applicable. Exclusion Criteria: * Emergency or urgent surgery. * Moderate to severe neurodevelopmental disorder or intellectual disability limiting understanding of the intervention or study scales. * Severe visual or hearing impairment preventing use of virtual reality. * History of photosensitive epilepsy, severe vertigo, severe motion sickness, or other conditions that could worsen with virtual reality. * Severe decompensated psychiatric disorder. * Use of intense sedative premedication before baseline assessment that prevents evaluation of preoperative anxiety.
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
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How to take part
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The official record
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A doctor treating you
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Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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