The Effectiveness of "Virtual Reality Therapy Compound with Aromatherapy" on Pain Intensity of Renal Patients

Patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) undergo hemodialysis to maintain their health. Hemodialysis has many complications, chronic pain is one of the most common that is associated with some psychological variables, so it is important to find ways to reduce pain in these patients. Accordingly, the present study was performed to determine the effectiveness of virtual reality therapy and aromatherapy on pain intensity in renal patients undergoing hemodialysis.

In this quasi-experimental study with a pretest-posttest design and follow-up with a control group, among patients undergoing hemodialysis in Zanjan in 1397, 20 patients were purposefully selected and divided into two groups of 10 (receiving Virtual reality treatments combined with aromatherapy were divided into groups over two months in 8 one-hour sessions and control. The NRS-11 numerical scale was used to measure the pain intensity variable. The collected data were analyzed by SPSS software version 26 using mixed analysis of variance.

The results showed that the mean pain in the experimental group in both post-test and follow-up stages was significantly higher than the control group (P<0.001).

Virtual reality therapy along with aromatherapy can considered as an effective treatment method in reducing the pain intensity of renal patients undergoing hemodialysis. Therefore, it is suggested that therapists and specialists in the field of psychology and counseling use the results of the present study in order to promote patients health.