ABSTRACT
Objective:
To analyze the effects of the technique of virtual reality guided imagery in the vital signs of hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation patients.
Method:
Quasi-experimental study with 35 participants who received an intervention using virtual reality guided imagery with progressive muscle relaxation, applied three times a week for four weeks in a referral hospital for transplants in the south of Brazil. Data collected included: temperature, arterial pressure, respiratory rate, heart rate, pain, and oxygen saturation, before and after each intervention. The comparisons were analyzed using Wilcoxon’s test.
Results:
There was a clinical significance between the mean measurements before and after for respiratory rate (p=0.00) in all stages, and for the variables Heart rate, Temperature, and Oxygen saturation from the 1st to the 12th measurements (p=0.05).
Conclusion:
The intervention was low cost, easy to apply, and showed positive effects, presenting itself as an option for patient-focused care.
Descriptors:
Imagery; Psychotherapy; Relaxation Therapy; Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation; Bone Marrow Transplantation; Vital Signs
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Note: Day zero is the day of the HSCT itself. It takes place after three to ten days of preparation, depending on the protocol used; the period of pancytopenia varied from five to eight days after day zero.
* Probability of significance of p>0.05.