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<p>Pregnant women use a range of non-pharmacological pain relief methods to help manage and reduce pain intensity and to induce relaxation. We conducted a study with 18 pregnant women to explore whether virtual reality (VR) would be an acceptable and feasible intervention for use in labour as a non-pharmacological method of pain relief and to aid relaxation. Virtual reality has been shown to be an effective distraction technique in other acute pain settings and also reduces anxiety. This in-depth usability study antenatally introduced four VR experiences to the women. They assessed the content and design features of the VR experiences and how they envisaged using VR in their labour via semi-structured interviews. The results of the antenatal study identified several themes: <i>evoking emotion</i> with sub-themes, <i>memory</i>, and <i>imagination</i>. The theme <i>presence</i>, includes sub-themes such as <i>relatability</i>, <i>realism</i>, <i>immersion</i>, <i>interactivity</i>, and <i>narration</i>. The theme :<i>envisaging using VR in labour</i> with subthemes of <i>escape</i> and a<i>nchoring</i> were descriptions of how women envisaged using VR in their labour. Finally, the theme: <i>the ideal virtual environment</i> describes the environments and features participants would like to see in the development of future VR for use antenatally and in labour. This study provides a unique and novel contribution to the field of VR and antenatal and labour care which can help inform the design of labour specific VR experiences for women as a non-pharmacological method of pain relief.</p>

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Women’s experiences of using virtual reality antenatally

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

    开放获取

  • 发表日期：

    2026年3月6日

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  • Lorna Massov,
  • Brian Robinson,
  • Edgar Rodriguez Ramirez,
  • Robyn Maude,
  • Craig Anslow

摘要

Pregnant women use a range of non-pharmacological pain relief methods to help manage and reduce pain intensity and to induce relaxation. We conducted a study with 18 pregnant women to explore whether virtual reality (VR) would be an acceptable and feasible intervention for use in labour as a non-pharmacological method of pain relief and to aid relaxation. Virtual reality has been shown to be an effective distraction technique in other acute pain settings and also reduces anxiety. This in-depth usability study antenatally introduced four VR experiences to the women. They assessed the content and design features of the VR experiences and how they envisaged using VR in their labour via semi-structured interviews. The results of the antenatal study identified several themes: evoking emotion with sub-themes, memory, and imagination. The theme presence, includes sub-themes such as relatability, realism, immersion, interactivity, and narration. The theme :envisaging using VR in labour with subthemes of escape and anchoring were descriptions of how women envisaged using VR in their labour. Finally, the theme: the ideal virtual environment describes the environments and features participants would like to see in the development of future VR for use antenatally and in labour. This study provides a unique and novel contribution to the field of VR and antenatal and labour care which can help inform the design of labour specific VR experiences for women as a non-pharmacological method of pain relief.