Evidence map›Paper›PMID 32478662›Full record

SynthesisJournal of medical Internet research2020

The Role of Virtual Reality in Improving Health Outcomes for Community-Dwelling Older Adults: Systematic Review.

Gordana Dermody, Lisa Whitehead, Graham Wilson, Courtney Glass

Registry-linked trialOpen access · goldAbstract readSystematic Review
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Journal of medical Internet research, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT05867641 (VR&R), which is not on this map. Cited by 83 papers, 8 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
83citing papers in PubMed, 8 pooled it
11.2field-weighted citation impact, top 1% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

NCT05867641 narecruitingnot on this mapstarted 2025, after this paper: background citation

VR&R: Providing Respite to Caregivers by Managing BPSDs and Improving QoL in People with Dementia Using Immersive VR-Therapy

TypeinterventionalSponsorUniversity Health Network, TorontoRan2025 to 2027Enrolled50ConditionsDementiaArmsImmersive VR Therapy in Head-Mounted Display (HMD) (Solo), Immersive VR Therapy in a Head-Mounted Display (HMD) (Social)
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

83 citing papers in PubMed, 8 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 209 citations in OpenAlex.

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23 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.

Gordana Dermody *School of Nursing and Midwifery, Edith Cowan University, Joondalup, Australia.ORCID 0000-0003-0489-3881
Lisa Whitehead *School of Nursing and Midwifery, Edith Cowan University, Joondalup, Australia.ORCID 0000-0002-6395-0279
Graham Wilson *University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, United Kingdom.ORCID 0000-0003-2664-1634
Courtney Glass *School of Nursing and Midwifery, Edith Cowan University, Joondalup, Australia.ORCID 0000-0001-8258-9207
Edith Cowan University · AUUniversity of Strathclyde · GB

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundVirtual reality (VR) delivered through immersive headsets creates an opportunity to deliver interventions to improve physical, mental, and psychosocial health outcomes. VR app studies with older adults have primarily focused on rehabilitation and physical function including gait, balance, fall prevention, pain management, and cognition. Several systematic reviews have previously been conducted, but much of the extant literature is focused on rehabilitation or other institutional settings, and little is known about the effectiveness of VR apps using immersive headsets to target health outcomes among community-dwelling older adults.

objectiveThe objective of this review was to evaluate the effectiveness of VR apps delivered using commercially available immersive headsets to improve physical, mental, or psychosocial health outcomes in community-dwelling older adults.

methodsPeer-reviewed publications that included community-dwelling older adults aged ≥60 years residing in residential aged care settings and nursing homes were included. This systematic review was conducted in accordance with the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) methodology for systematic reviews of effectiveness evidence. The title of this review was registered with JBI, and the systematic review protocol was registered with the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews.

resultsIn total, 7 studies that specifically included community-dwelling older adults were included in this review. VR apps using a head-mounted display led to improvements in a number of health outcomes, including pain management, posture, cognitive functioning specifically related to Alzheimer disease, and a decreased risk of falls. A total of 6 studies reported a statistically significant difference post VR intervention, and 1 study reported an improvement in cognitive function to reduce navigational errors. Only one study reported on the usability and acceptability of the interventions delivered through VR. While one study used a distraction mechanism for pain management, none of the studies used gaming technology to promote enjoyment.

conclusionsInterventions to improve health outcomes through VR have demonstrated potential; however, the ability to synthesize findings by primary outcome for the older adult population is not possible. A number of factors, especially related to frailty, usability, and acceptability, also need to be explored before more substantial recommendations on the effectiveness of VR interventions for older adults can be made.

trial registrationPROSPERO CRD42019143504; https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?RecordID=143504.

Indexed as

Virtual RealityAgedHumansIndependent LivingMiddle AgedOutcome Assessment, Health Careagedaged, 80 and overindependent livingoutcome assessment, health caresystematic reviewvirtual reality

Identifiers

PMID32478662
PMCPMC7296414
OpenAlexW3016050315

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.