Effects of Patient Education and Distraction Approaches Using Virtual Reality on Pre-operative Anxiety and Post-operative Pain in Patients Undergoing Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy.

Background: Fear of post-operative pain often contributes to pre-operative anxiety; accordingly, pain and anxiety are among the most common complications in patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC).

Aim: The present study aimed to determine the effects of patient education and distraction using virtual reality (VR) on pre-operative anxiety and post-operative pain in patients undergoing LC.

Method: This randomized clinical trial included 150 patients in the surgery wards of educational hospitals in Mashhad, Iran, in 2020.