KKH Uses Virtual Reality to Ease Pre-Surgery Anxiety
KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital (KKH) has introduced immersive virtual reality (VR) to help patients manage pre-surgery anxiety. Clinical studies found that the intervention reduced pre-surgical anxiety by about 30%. A later study also found lower anxiety levels for up to three days after surgery, alongside improved physical comfort during the first 24 hours of recovery.
The programme is expected to benefit up to 250 women each year and is available without additional cost to eligible patients undergoing gynaecological operations.
The procedures covered include the removal of benign tumours and tissue, including fibroids and cysts, as well as operations to remove the uterus. The intervention is offered to patients scheduled for these procedures, not to everyone awaiting surgery at the hospital.
Patients are introduced to VR around one or two hours before their planned operation. Those who choose to participate wear a headset and watch one or more of four short videos. The options include a beach scene with meditation music, a forest setting with guided breathing exercises, a visit to Gardens by the Bay, and a walkthrough of KKH’s operating theatre. Each video lasts about five minutes.
The hospital is also considering extending the programme to children awaiting surgery. Other possible areas of expansion include outpatient procedures and services. The current programme remains focused on eligible patients undergoing gynaecological operations.
KKH has conducted clinical trials to assess the intervention’s effects on anxiety and recovery. A study carried out in 2020 involved 108 patients and found that pre-surgical anxiety levels fell by about one-third following the VR intervention. Researchers measured anxiety using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, a self-assessment questionnaire.
A second study, conducted in March 2026, involved 104 patients. It found that the intervention lowered anxiety before surgery and that the reduction was maintained for up to three days afterwards. The study also identified improved physical comfort during the first 24 hours of recovery.
The findings cover both the pre-surgery period and the early recovery phase. The 2020 study focused on changes in pre-surgical anxiety, while the March 2026 study examined anxiety after the procedure as well as physical comfort in the first 24 hours. The two studies involved separate patient groups.
The VR intervention is not offered to women undergoing caesarean sections. These patients currently receive other support, including music services that can continue throughout delivery. The intervention is also unavailable to patients with motion sickness or visual problems and those admitted for urgent operations.
About 70% of patients offered VR take up the option. Those who do not use it may choose other ways to manage the waiting period. These include reading materials prepared by KKH, talking with nurses, using their own mobile phones or resting before entering the operating theatre.
Eileen Tan, a 45-year-old administrator, was scheduled for fibroid removal surgery in early May. The procedure was her first invasive operation and required general anaesthesia. Her surgeon had explained that the operation was generally safe, but Tan remained concerned about the procedure and its outcome.
On the day of the operation, Tan waited in a busy area where staff moved around as patients prepared for surgery. Messages from her parents and husband also arrived while she was waiting. She used the VR headset before the procedure and watched the available videos repeatedly until the battery level became low, then returned the device.
The day after surgery, Tan ate all the breakfast and lunch served in the hospital. She was scheduled to stay another night. The case formed part of KKH’s wider use of VR as an option for patients preparing for gynaecological surgery.
