The Effectiveness of Virtual Reality in the Management of Procedural Anxiety and Pain in Children Suffering From Chronic Pathologies or Burn Injuries.

Inclusion Criteria

• •Eligibility Criteria: Inclusion
• •The study population includes children who meet the following criteria:
• •1. Diagnosis of a chronic condition, aged 3 to 18 years, without visual impairments or cognitive deficits, and with a confirmed diagnosis of the condition.
• •2. Children receiving care in the wound care nursing clinic or Medical Day Hospital (DH) who require minimally invasive painful procedures.
• •3. Assent and informed consent provided by both the children and their parents.
• •4. Children with chronic conditions that do not inherently cause chronic pain, which could alter pain perception (e.g., rheumatoid arthritis, diabetic foot, muscular dystrophy).
• •5. Children able to understand and communicate in Italian or English.
• •6. Parents able to understand and communicate in Italian or English. Eligibility Criteria: Exclusion
• •Children with the following characteristics will be excluded from the study:
• •1. Chronic condition not yet diagnosed.
• •2. Use of eyeglasses, presence of amblyopia or monocular vision.
• •3. Chronic pain, which could distort pain perception during the procedure.
• •4. Use of analgesic therapy within the last 8 hours, which could bias data collection results (the only prohibited therapy in the study and a reason for exclusion).
• •5. Cognitive impairment preventing the proper use of assessment scales.