Effectiveness Of Virtual Reality Interventions Research Articles

Effects of virtual reality on stroke rehabilitation: An umbrella review of systematic reviews.

Virtual reality is an emerging technology in rehabilitation. This umbrella review aimed to identify, critically appraise, and summarize current systematic reviews on the effects of virtual reality on stroke rehabilitation. Five biomedical databases, PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, PsycINFO, and Scopus were searched from inception to December 30th, 2023, for systematic reviews with or without meta-analyses published in English. Two reviewers independently conducted abstract screening, full-text selection, and quality assessments. The methodological quality of included studies was evaluated by the Assessing the Methodological Quality of Systematic Reviews 2. Results were qualitatively synthesized according to domains of function to ascertain the effects of virtual reality intervention on functional improvement within stroke rehabilitation. A total of 78 articles were included; 23 were systematic reviews, and 55 were systematic reviews with meta-analyses. Among them, 30 studies were evaluated as critically low quality, 32 as low, 15 as moderate, and one as good. Outcomes regarding upper extremity motor function, upper extremity activity, participation, functional independence, balance, functional mobility, walking speed, and cognitive function were summarized. While positive effects in favor of virtual reality were revealed by a majority of systematic reviews on these outcomes, evidence supporting the significantly different effects of virtual reality compared to conventional rehabilitation on participation and cognitive function was lacking. The umbrella review demonstrated promising clinical outcomes regarding the use of virtual reality as an advanced therapeutic approach in stroke rehabilitation to optimize patient care. Future systematic reviews and meta-analyses in this field should adhere to established guidelines to enhance the quality of evidence.

Effects of Virtual Reality on Pain and Anxiety During Children's Circumcision: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Circumcision-a common pediatric procedure-can cause significant pain and anxiety. Virtual reality has been proposed as a nonpharmacological intervention to alleviate these negative experiences. This systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted to evaluate the effects of virtual reality interventions on pain and anxiety in children undergoing circumcision. This study comprehensively searched PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library for articles published from database inception to October 2, 2023. Randomized controlled trials that investigated the effects of virtual reality interventions on pain and anxiety during circumcision in children were included. The Cochrane risk-of-bias tool was used to appraise the included studies. The primary outcomes were pain and anxiety scores. Three randomized controlled trials and four data sets involving a total of 224 children were included in our meta-analysis. Virtual reality interventions significantly reduced children's pain and anxiety scores. Virtual reality interventions are promising nonpharmacological strategies for alleviating children's pain and anxiety during circumcision. Pediatric healthcare professionals use virtual reality interventions to create a child-friendly and healthy healthcare environment.

Effectiveness of virtual reality intervention in promoting sustainable hand hygiene for community participants: A mixed methods approach

Hand hygiene compliance is well known as an important measure in preventing the transmission of infectious disease. Even though general public was aware of this health message during the COVID-19 pandemic, sustaining such personal hygiene behavior is difficult. While personal hygiene virtual reality intervention via an immersive experience has been found as an effective health promotion strategy, its prior implementation was mostly among healthcare workers but not among people in the community. Using a mixed methods approach, this study draws on the theory of planned behaviors to design two experimental studies for testing this interventional approach's sustainability and applicability to the general population. The result confirmed the virtual reality scenario with both presence and embodiment demonstrated a more sustainable treatment effect in boosting individual's self-efficacy over other experimental arms. Post-hoc analysis revealed the reduction of perceived barrier after exposure to immersive environment was attributable to treatment effect. The findings were reconfirmed through triangulation in the qualitative post-intervention interviews. Finally, we highlight the theoretical and practical implication of the study for the future development of personal hygiene immersive environment-based intervention.

Recent advances in the virtual reality technology for treating children with autism spectrum disorder

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is one of the neurodevelopmental disorders in children, and there are currently no specific treatments, with the main interventions focusing on educational training and behavioral correction. Virtual reality, as an emerging technology, is a computer-based environmental simulation system that achieves interactive dynamics and immersive experiences by integrating information from multiple sources. In recent years, it has been gradually applied in intervention training for children with ASD. This paper reviews the recent studies on the effects of virtual reality intervention on emotional cognition, social skills, daily living skills, motor skills, and specific phobias in children with ASD, offering a new direction for ASD intervention training.

The effects of virtual reality interventions on occupational participation and distress from symptoms in palliative care patients: A pilot study.

Virtual reality (VR) offers the prospect of a safe and effective adjunct therapeutic modality to promote mental health and reduce distress from symptoms in palliative care patients. Common physiological and psychological symptoms experienced at the end of life may impact the person's participation in day-to-day activities that bring them meaning. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of VR interventions on occupational participation and distress from symptoms. To describe the stimulus, results, and learnings from a single-site pilot study of virtual reality therapy in a specialist palliative care setting. Participants engaged in a VR session lasting from 9 to 30 minutes related to coping with pain, inner peace and mindfulness, adventure, and bucket list. The pilot prospective quantitative observational cohort study was conducted from November 2021 through March 2022 using a pre-post VR intervention research design. Quantitative data was collected using patient-rated assessments and a wireless pulse oximeter. Occupational performance, satisfaction, and distress symptoms were measured using the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure and the Palliative Care Outcomes Collaboration Symptom Assessment Scale (PCOC SAS). The intervention and study design adhered to international guidelines. Ten participants engaged in the VR interventions. Data showed significantly improved occupational performance and satisfaction scores (p < .001), decreases in PCOC SAS distress from pain (p = .01), fatigue (p < .001), and heart rate (p = .018). No adverse side effects were observed. Outcomes included an analysis of virtual reality's effectiveness to alleviate symptom burden and increase occupational participation for palliative care patients. Of specific interest to the research team was the application of virtual reality in a community-based and inpatient palliative care context to supplement allied health services and its feasibility of integration into standard palliative care. VR therapy showed positive improvements in the participants' occupational performance, satisfaction, and distress from pain and fatigue.

The Effects of Virtual Reality Intervention Before Total Knee Arthroplasty on Pain, Anxiety, and Vital Signs

ObjectiveIn this study, the effects of a virtual reality intervention before total knee arthroplasty on pain, anxiety, and vital signs were investigated. MethodsThis randomized controlled study with a pretest-posttest design was conducted with 130 patients included in experimental (n = 65) and control (n = 65) groups. Data were collected using a patient information form, the numeric rating scale (NRS), a vital signs form, and the state anxiety inventory. The patients in the experimental group watched a 20-minute video consisting of sea, forest, waterfall, and animal visuals using virtual reality goggles. Vital signs were recorded before and after the intervention. Vital signs were recorded on the same timeline in the control group, without any intervention. ResultsThe patients in the experimental group displayed lowered anxiety and pain levels and improvements in their vital signs, except for temperature. There were statistically significant differences between the experimental and control groups, except for temperature and diastolic blood pressure (p < .05). ConclusionThe virtual reality intervention reduced pain, anxiety, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, heart rate, and respiratory rate. It is recommended to be implemented before surgery.

IMMERSIVE VIRTUAL REALITY INTERVENTIONS FOR OLDER ADULTS: A SERIES OF META-ANALYSES

Abstract Many older adults desire to age in place, a term used to describe living independently versus transitioning to a residential care facility. Virtual reality (VR) has the potential to positively impact the functioning of older adults as an assessment or intervention to help compensate for lost or declining functions. VR captures a wide variety of technologies ranging from non-immersive to fully immersive, designed to give the user a feeling of presence. To date, VR interventions have been used with older adults including improving health outcomes, improving functional abilities, and for neuropsychological purposes. A handful of meta-analyses (M-As) attempt to summarize the overall effectiveness of VR interventions with older adults, but many contain methodological issues and cover the gamut of VR technology. The present M-A fills a gap in the literature by assessing the literature on immersive VR interventions for older adults. Sixteen articles met inclusion for meta-analysis, and 41 effect sizes (ES) were calculated. ES were grouped by category, neuropsychological, health/mental health, functional, and eight meta-analyses were performed with one exploratory analysis. Results revealed small, significant ES for VR interventions on measures of global cognition, simple attention tasks, executive functioning tasks, anxiety ratings, and pain ratings. Nonsignificant ES were found for stress ratings, gait speed, depression ratings, and TUG task (exploratory M-A). Continuing to develop affordable, safe interventions to assist with aging in place is important as the number of older adults continues to increase. Immersive VR is a promising avenue to continue exploring to better assist the aging population.

Using functional near-infrared spectroscopy to study effects of virtual reality intervention for adolescents with depression in a clinical setting in China: study protocol for a prospective, randomised, controlled trial

IntroductionAdolescent depression has been shown to be associated with many devastating psychosocial outcomes. However, there are many barriers that may prevent depressed individuals from receiving specialised treatment. Virtual reality (VR)...

Effect of Virtual Reality Intervention on Labor Pain and Maternal Childbirth Satisfaction

Effect of Virtual Reality Intervention on Labor Pain and Maternal Childbirth Satisfaction

Virtual Reality Intervention and Its Impact on Upper Extremity Function in the Stroke Population: A Scoping Review.

The aim of this scoping review was to examine virtual reality (VR) interventions used within rehabilitation and their effect on the functional outcomes of individuals with stroke. Specifically, this study sought to determine the impact of VR on the upper extremity (UE) use of participants as it relates to body function, occupational participation, and overall UE function (UEfxn). Twenty-six articles were selected for inclusion and results were extracted to determine common themes of outcomes among the effects of VR intervention (VRI). Thematic analysis included details about the VRIs used, as well as the change in UE outcomes post-VRI. Overall, positive change in UEfxn was found across many of the studies, indicating that VR technologies may be an effective intervention technique for individuals, poststroke. Findings of this review encourage clinicians to conduct further research regarding VR technology for UE rehabilitation poststroke.

Effects of Virtual Reality Interventions on the Parameters of Normal Labor: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. A Meta-Analysis of Virtual Reality Interventions on the Parameters of Normal Labor

BackgroundClinical and experimental studies on virtual reality have shown that this easy-to-use and non-invasive method is a safe and effective strategy during normal labor. AimThis study aims to analyze the effects of virtual reality (VR) interventions on some of the parameters of normal labor. DesignSystematic review and meta-analysis. MethodHigher Education Council National Thesis Center, Scopus, PubMed, Google Scholar, and Science Direct databases were systematically searched for randomized controlled trials that administered VR to the intervention group but not to the control group and were published through January 2022. RevMan software was used to analyze the meta-analysis data. Pain, anxiety, satisfaction, and the duration of the first and second stages of labor were assessed as outcomes of normal labor. ResultsSeven randomized controlled trials, with a total of 756 women in total, met the inclusion criteria. Virtual reality interventions significantly reduced pain scores when cervical dilatation was ≤4 cm (MD = −0.43, 95% expansion here (CI [−0.65, −0.21], p < .001) and ≥9 cm (SMD = −1.91, 95% CI [−2.56, −1.26], p < .001). Anxiety scores significantly decreased (SMD = –1.08, 95% CI [–1.75, 0.41], p < .001), and childbirth satisfaction significantly increased (MD = 11.24, 95% CI [2.17, 20.30], p < .001) in the VR intervention groups. Finally, when compared to the control groups, the duration of the first stage of labor (SMD = –0.53, 95% CI [–0.83, –0.22], p < .01) and the second stage of labor (MD = –0.39, 95% CI [–0.76, –0.02], p = .001) were significantly decreased in the VR intervention groups. ConclusionsVirtual reality interventions are effective methods to reduce pain, anxiety, and the duration of the first and second stages of labor and to increase satisfaction with normal labor.

Effectiveness of Virtual Reality in Anxiety and Pain Management in Children and Adolescents Receiving Cancer Treatment: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

The study aimed to investigate the effect of virtual reality interventions on relieving pain and anxiety in children and adolescents receiving cancer treatment. A search that involved Cochrane Library (comprising Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL)), PubMed, ProQuest, MEDLINE, Web of Sciences, Science Direct, and Scopus electronic databases covering the records from January 1, 2000 up to May, 2023 was conducted to determine randomized controlled trials that could be included in our study. The results of the search were limited to "anxiety and pain, adolescents, children, virtual reality, cancer." Of the 160 articles that were reached during the search, seven were found eligible based on inclusion criteria. Hedges' g effect size was calculated for each article. Random effects model was used to test effect sizes and moderator variables. The registration number of this meta-analysis on PROSPERO is CRD42022304737. The outcomes were pain and anxiety. Compared with standard care, virtual reality had a medium and significant effect on anxiety (g = 0.60, 95% CI: [- 1.05 - 0.15]) and pain (g = - 0.667, 95% CI: [- 1.08- -0.24]). In addition, age has been identified as an important moderator in the use of virtual reality in pain management. This meta-analysis shows that virtual reality applications are effective interventions for reducing pain and anxiety in the field of pediatric oncology. However, it is necessary to carry out randomized controlled trials that have large samples for evidence-based virtual reality applications in pediatric oncology.

Effectiveness of virtual reality interventions of the upper limb in children and young adults with cerebral palsy: A systematic review with meta-analysis

Objective To examine the characteristics and the effectiveness of virtual reality systems on upper limb impairments in children and young adults with cerebral palsy. Data sources An electronic search was conducted on PubMed, PEDro, Web of Science, Central, and EMBASE. Methods The protocol of this review was prospectively registered in the PROSPERO database (CRD42022302271). Randomized controlled trials that tested the effects of virtual reality-based interventions on the upper limb of participants with cerebral palsy were included. The methodological quality of the studies was measured by the PEDro scale. The certainty of the evidence was assessed using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation. The data of the studies were analyzed in meta-analysis and presented in forest plots and narrative synthesis. Results Twenty-two studies involving 746 participants were included. Ten different virtual reality systems were used in the interventions, of which six were designed specifically for rehabilitation and four commercial video games. We found an effect in favor of virtual reality when it was used in combination with conventional therapy for upper limb activity (SMD = 0.65; 95% CI (0.19 to 1.11)). However, the certainty of the evidence of the comparisons ranged from very low to low. Conclusion Virtual reality seems to be an effective tool for upper limb activity in children and young adults with cerebral palsy. Nevertheless, future studies should present a better methodological quality, a larger sample size, and well-defined rehabilitation programs to reduce the inconsistency of the evidence in this domain.

Effectiveness of virtual reality interventions to reduce pre-operative anxiety in adult surgical patients in the pre-operative period: Systematic review and meta-analysis

Effectiveness of virtual reality interventions to reduce pre-operative anxiety in adult surgical patients in the pre-operative period: Systematic review and meta-analysis

Immediate effect of virtual reality intervention on task related neck pain and muscle fatigue in dentists

Background: Dentistry requires long hours of static body postures while executing activities in which permanently forced loads influence the musculoskeletal system. Methods: 25 dentists were recruited where neck pain or fatigue was assessed subjectively using NRS and Borg CR10 scale respectively and the pain pressure threshold of the upper trapezius muscle was assessed objectively using a handheld algometer pre- and post- intervention. Mobile VR game- Froggy VR was administered as a virtual reality. Results: A Wilcoxon signed rank test showed a statistically significant reduction in the intensity of task related neck pain and fatigue post VR intervention with Z-score=-4.549, n=38, p&lt;0.001 and Z-score=-4.588, n=38, p&lt;0.001 respectively. Also, there was a statistically significant increase in the pain pressure threshold of the right and left upper trapezius muscle post VR intervention with Z-score=-4.937, n=38, p&lt;0.001 and Z-score=-4.512, n=38, p&lt;0.001 respectively. Conclusions: Virtual reality intervention led to an immediate reduction in task-related neck pain and muscle fatigue among dentists with an immediate reduction in pain sensitivity of the upper trapezius muscle in dentists.

The Effectiveness of Virtual Reality Intervention for COVID-19-Related Psychological Distress: A Systematic Review.

The prolonged coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is likely to cause psychological distress in people. This systematic review aimed to identify the effectiveness of virtual reality (VR)-based psychological intervention among individuals with psychological distress during the COVID-19 crisis. PubMed, Ovid MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, Embase, and PsycINFO databases were searched for articles published until July 2022. The available citations were deduplicated and screened by two authors using the title and abstract information. Eligibility criteria were constructed according to the PICOT guidelines. Empirical studies of all designs and comparator groups were included if they appraised the impact of an immersive VR intervention on any standardized measure indicative of psychological distress (stress, anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic symptoms) or improvements in quality of life in participants, including COVID-19 patients, medical staff working with COVID-19 patients, and people who had experienced strict social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic. The results were discussed using a narrative synthesis because of the heterogeneity between studies. Seven of the studies met the inclusion criteria. There were two randomized controlled trials and five uncontrolled studies on VR interventions. All studies reported significant improvement in a wide range of psychological distress during COVID-19, ranging from stress, anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic symptoms to quality of life, supporting the efficacy of VR-based psychological intervention. Our results suggest that VR intervention has potential to ameliorate COVID-19-related psychological distress with efficacy and safety.

Role of Immersive Virtual Reality in Motor Behaviour Decision-Making in Chronic Pain Patients.

Primary chronic pain is a major contributor to disability worldwide, with an estimated prevalence of 20-33% of the world's population. The high socio-economic impact of musculoskeletal pain justifies seeking an appropriate therapeutic strategy. Immersive virtual reality (VR) has been proposed as a first-line intervention for chronic musculoskeletal pain. However, the growing literature has not been accompanied by substantial progress in understanding how VR exerts its impact on the pain experience and what neurophysiological mechanisms might be involved in the clinical effectiveness of virtual reality interventions in chronic pain patients. The aim of this review is: (i) to establish the state of the art on the effects of VR on patients with chronic pain; (ii) to identify neuroplastic changes associated with chronic pain that may be targeted by VR intervention; and (iii) to propose a hypothesis on how immersive virtual reality could modify motor behavioral decision-making through an interactive experience in patients with chronic pain.

Effectiveness of virtual reality interventions on physiological and psychological outcomes of adults with cardiovascular disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

The aim of this study was to provide evidence of the effectiveness of virtual reality interventions on the physiological and psychological outcomes of adults with cardiovascular disease. A systematic review and meta-analysis. Database searches were carried out in CINAHL, Cochrane Central, Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus, Science Direct, and Ovid without restriction of year up to December 2021. The study was carried out in accordance with PRISMA 2020 and Cochrane 2021 recommendations. The intervention effects were pooled using the random effects model. The Risk of Bias 2 tool was' used to assess the risk of bias. Heterogeneity and publication bias were also assessed. In total, 14 trials were included. The included studies found a significantly higher effect on anxiety (Hedge's g=-0.85, 95% CI: -1.55 to -0.14, p=0.01) and a medium effect on physical functional capacity (Hedge's g=0.54, 95% CI: 0.01 to 1.08, p=0.05), stress (Hedge's g=-0.36, 95% CI: -0.60 to -0.11, p=0.01), and depression (Hedge's g=-0.39, 95% CI: -0.68 to -0.11, p=0.01) compared to the control group. The Cochrane GRADE approach showed low level evidence for the effect of virtual reality on anxiety and moderate level evidence for stress, depression, and physical functional capacity. The effect size and grade evaluation results showed that virtual reality may be an effective intervention to reduce anxiety, stress, and depression and to increase physical functional capacity in patients with cardiovascular disease. However, more study is necessary in order to establish evidence. Registered in the PROSPERO database: PROSPERO international prospective register of systematic reviews Registration number: CRD42022296578.

Effectiveness of virtual reality intervention on reducing the pain, anxiety and fear of needle-related procedures in paediatric patients: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

To evaluate the effectiveness of virtual reality (VR) intervention in the management of pain, anxiety and fear in paediatric patients undergoing needle-related procedures. A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs). A librarian-designed search of the Cochrane Library, PubMed, Web of Science, EMBASE, CINAHL, CBM, CNKI, and Wanfang databases was conducted to identify research articles in English or Chinese on RCTs up to February 28, 2022. Two researchers independently screened eligible articles. The Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews was used to assess the risk of bias in the included studies. A fixed- or random-effects meta-analysis model was used to determine the pooled mean difference based on the results of the heterogeneity test. A total of 2269 articles were initially screened. The meta-analysis included data from 27 studies representing 2224 participants. Compared with the non-VR group, the VR intervention group significantly reduced pain, anxiety, and fear in paediatric patients who underwent puncture-related procedures. Subgroup analysis showed that VR has advantages over conventional and other distraction methods. Paediatric patients undergoing needle-related procedures would benefit from VR interventions for pain, anxiety and fear management. VR intervention has the potential to reduce pain, anxiety and fear in paediatric patients undergoing puncture-related procedures. Future clinical interventions could incorporate VR into puncture procedures as an effective method to reduce negative emotions in children eligible for VR distractions. Our paper is a systematic review and meta-analysis and such details don't apply to our work.

The Effectiveness of Virtual Reality Interventions on Smoking, Nutrition, Alcohol, Physical Activity and/or Obesity Risk Factors: A Systematic Review.

To our knowledge, no systematic reviews have examined the effectiveness of virtual reality (VR) interventions across all smoking, nutrition, alcohol, physical activity, and/or obesity (SNAPO) risk factors. This systematic review assessed the effectiveness of VR interventions on reducing SNAPO risks compared to control groups or other interventions. MEDLINE, EMBASE, Scopus, PsycINFO, and CENTRAL were searched to identify eligible studies published to 7 October 2021. Two reviewers independently completed screening, data extraction and quality assessment. Twenty-six studies were included, five on smoking, twelve on physical activity (PA), six on obesity, one on PA and obesity, one on obesity and nutrition, and one on obesity, nutrition and PA. VR was effective for smoking cessation in three studies and for smoking reduction in four studies. Seven studies had significantly higher PA in the VR group, and one study found significantly higher PA in a comparator group. Two studies showed VR was more effective at reducing BMI or weight than comparators. Three multiple health risks studies showed mixed results. The remaining studies found no significant difference between VR and control/comparators. VR appears promising for the treatment of smoking, nutrition, PA, and obesity risks; however, further randomised trials are needed.