Virtual reality exposure therapy to decrease anxiety before surgical invasive procedures in hemodialysis patients: an interventional study.

Background: Hemodialysis patients are prone to anxiety and depression due to physiological changes and psychological tensions that leave irreversible effects on the patients. In this regard, the present study was an attempt to provide a simulated situation by using virtual reality on the anxiety level of dialysis patients before performing surgical procedures.

Methods: This non-equivalent groups pre-posttest quasi-experimental study was conducted in 2022 in a hemodialysis ward of Imam Khomeini General Hospital affiliated with Tehran University of Medical Sciences.