The Effect of the Operating Room Environment on Patients Experienced With Virtual Reality Glasses Before Surgery

This study was planned as a randomized controlled experimental study with a pretest-posttest design to examine the effect of the operating room environment experience of preoperative patients using virtual reality glasses on the patients' preoperative surgical fear level and care perceptions.

Today, virtual reality is used in many areas such as medical diagnosis and treatment by reflecting three-dimensional images animated on the computer as if it were a real experience. Procedural pain, facilitating interventional procedures with a game-based video demonstration in children, and outpatient surgeries such as circumcision surgery can be used to provide patients with this "real world" experience, its use has also become widespread in areas such as wound care and in nursing education due to the increase in malpractice cases . In line with patient experiences, the benefits of virtual reality technology have been documented in the literature and its use in nursing care is increasing . Informing the patient to improve the quality of care, managing pain during painful interventional procedures, and reducing surgery-related fear reduces wound healing and hospital stay, especially in surgical patients . In the literature, patients' pre-operative problems such as lack of knowledge about the surgery, operating room environment, surgical procedures, etc. It is reported that they experience anxiety and fear related to many factors. It also emphasizes the importance of informing the patient before surgery within the scope of Enhance Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) procedures (Joshi \& Kehlet, 2019). In line with ERAS protocols, preoperative education and information have been proven to provide positive postoperative recovery. Informing the patient about the operating room environment is the most important element in accelerating surgical recovery. The operating room environment can be seen as a stress factor for patients. Therefore, in this study, we aimed to examine the effect of informing patients about the operating room environment, supported by visuals, on the patient's fear and perceptions of care. In addition, it is thought that this information and experience will affect the patient's vital signs and that the patient's need for premedication will also change. It is thought that the results of this study will positively affect patient outcomes by improving the quality of patient care.