MentalHealthDaily

VR and Companion Touch Eased Pain and Anxiety During ER Stitches

by GLOOM

MHD card showing a patient in a glowing VR headset with a companion's hand resting on their shoulder and a stitched forearm wound, illustrating a trial in which VR and companion touch both eased pain and anxiety during emergency stitches.

A virtual reality (VR) headset and a simple hand massage from a companion both eased pain and anxiety during emergency room stitches, compared with usual care alone, in a 2026 randomized trial involving 87 adults in Iran.1 Research Highlights 3 arms: 90 adults with cuts needing sutures were randomized to usual care, usual care plus …