Background: Cesarean section is a common surgery to deliver viable fetus through
laparotomy and hysterotomy. Many women experience significant levels of perioperative anxiety
and stress that negatively affect physiological and psychological status of both mother and fetus.
Aim of this Research was to evaluate the effect of immersive virtual reality as a distraction method
on anxiety, stress and hemodynamic parameters of women undergoing cesarean section. Research
Design: A quasi-experimental research design (two groups, the study and control groups) was used.
Research Setting: The research was conducted at Benha University Hospital’s Obstetrics and
Gynecology Department. Subjects: A purposive sample included 170 women undergoing cesarean
sections and divided equally into the study and control groups. Tools of data collection: Five tools
were used; Tool 1) structured interviewing questionnaire, Tool 2) maternal hemodynamic
parameters assessment sheet, Tool 3) novel visual facial anxiety scale, Tool 4) brief measure of
emotional preoperative stress & 5) postoperative cesarean section satisfaction among delivered
mothers questionnaire. Results: There were statistically significant differences in total mean scores
of visual facial anxiety, and mean scores of both pulse rate and blood pressure during and after
application of virtual reality in the study group compared to the control group. Besides, there were
highly statistically significant differences in total mean scores of emotional intraoperative and
postoperative stress items, also all satisfaction dimensions after application of virtual reality in the
study group compared to the control group P ≤ 0.001. |
