JHSM
Journal of Health Sciences and Medicine

Journal of Health Sciences and Medicine (JHSM) is an unbiased, peer-reviewed, and open access international medical journal. The Journal publishes interesting clinical and experimental research conducted in all fields of medicine, interesting case reports, and clinical images, invited reviews, editorials, letters, comments, and related knowledge.

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Original Article
Investigation of the effect of video-based game application on acute pain in children under surgery
Abstract
Aims: The aim of this study is to investigate whether video-based game application is effective on post-surgical acute pain in children.
Methods: A randomized controlled trial was conducted between September 2022 and February 2023 in the department of pediatric surgery at a research and practice hospital affiliated with the university. Eighteen children aged 2-4 who were hospitalized after undergoing surgery due to illness and/or trauma, who did not have any problems grasping the upper extremity, and whose parents allowed them to participate in the study were included in the study. Children who had chronic pain complaints for more than 3 months, regardless of the pathology requiring surgery, and children who needed to be given painkillers in the postoperative period were excluded from the study. In our study, the Postoperative Pain Scale for preschool children was applied to all children after the effect of anesthesia wore off. Children in the game group were allowed to play video-based games for 30 minutes via a handheld game console called Nintendo Switch Lite. Pain assessment was performed three times before starting the game, at the 15th minute, and at the end of the 30th minute. Children in the control group were assessed for pain three times at 15-minute intervals within 30 minutes after the effect of anesthesia wore off without any intervention. The result was calculated by taking the average of 3 evaluations in both groups.
Results: 18 children with an mean age of 3.05±0.89 years, 4 girls and 5 boys in the game group and 9 boys in the control group, were included in the study. The age and preoperative pain values were similar between the two groups (p>0.05). In the post-surgical pain evaluation, the pain mean of the play group was 1.72±0.89, while the pain mean of the control group was 4.03±1.25. A statistically significant difference was found in post-surgical pain values between the two groups (p=0.003).
Conclusion: As a result of our study, it was determined that video-based game application had a positive effect on acute pain in children undergoing surgery.

Keywords : General surgery, pain, video game

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Article available in :
Volume 8, Issue 1, 2025
Page : 115-118
https://doi.org/10.32322/jhsm.1588509
Article Information
Received : 20 Kas 2024
Accepted : 30 Ara 2024
Published : 12 Oca 2025
Corresponding Author :

Sabiha Bezgin: Department of Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation, Faculty of Health Sciences, Hatay Mustafa Kemal University, Hatay, Turkiye

[email protected]
Citation : Bezgin S, Kuyulu S, Atıcı A. Investigation of the effect of video-based game application on acute pain in children under surgery. J Health Sci Med. 2025;8(1):115-118.

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