Plain-English translation of NCT06773715 on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗ · Source last updated · Translation generated · How we translate trials
Read our Sickle Cell Disease research guide →This study doesn't follow the usual testing phases — it may be an observational study or a different type of research.
This study is testing whether virtual reality can help young people with sickle cell disease manage their pain during a hospital stay. When you have a sickle cell pain crisis, your blood vessels can get blocked, causing severe pain that usually requires hospital admission and strong pain medications. The research team wants to see if using immersive virtual reality experiences — in addition to your regular pain treatment — can help reduce your pain, lower your need for opioid medications, and make your hospital stay feel less stressful.
Right now, doctors treat sickle cell pain crises mainly with opioid medications and fluids, but these treatments don't work the same way for everyone, and opioids come with risks. A few small studies have shown that virtual reality might help patients feel calmer and experience less pain, but we don't have clear evidence yet that this treatment truly helps young people with sickle cell disease.
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If you are assigned to the virtual reality group, you would receive your normal hospital pain treatment (IV fluids, pain medications) and also have the chance to use a virtual reality headset for an immersive experience. You would rate your pain level before using VR and again 1 hour and 4 hours afterward, and answer a few quick surveys about how the technology made you feel. This would happen on days 1, 2, and 3 of your hospital stay. The control group would receive only the standard pain treatment and pain rating checks, without the virtual reality.
AI-generated summary from trial data · Jun 3, 2026 · Not medical advice
United States