Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34025553›Full record

SynthesisFrontiers in neurology2021

Effectiveness of Virtual Reality in the Rehabilitation of Motor Function of Patients With Subacute Stroke: A Meta-Analysis.

Quan-Cheng Peng, Ling Yin, Yi Cao

Open access · goldAbstract readSystematic Review
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Frontiers in neurology, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 27 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
27citing papers in PubMed, 5 pooled it
4.4field-weighted citation impact, top 5% 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.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

27 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 57 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
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  3. Virtual Reality Therapy for Upper Limb Motor Impairments in Patients With Stroke: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Physiotherapy research international : the journal for researchers and clinicians in physical therapy · 2025
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  10. Visual stimulation in automated gait rehabilitation for post-stroke patients.Frontiers in bioengineering and biotechnology · 2026
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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

3 authors.

Quan-Cheng PengDepartment of Rehabilitation Medicine, Hanchuan People's Hospital, Hanchuan, China.
Ling YinDepartment of Pharmacy, Hanchuan People's Hospital, Hanchuan, China.
Yi CaoDepartment of Rehabilitation Medicine, Hanchuan People's Hospital, Hanchuan, China.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Stroke is a major cause of death and disability in adults. Conventional therapy (CT) has limited effectiveness, and therefore, various virtual reality (VR) rehabilitation programs have been designed. However, their efficacy in regaining motor function in patients with subacute stroke is questionable. Therefore, we conducted this meta-analysis to determine the efficacy of VR, compared to CT, in restoring motor function in this patient population. Up to October 10, 2020, nine electronic databases were searched for relevant articles reporting the effectiveness of VR in regaining motor function in patients with subacute stroke. This search was updated on March 7, 2021, with no additional added articles. The control group included CT, physical therapy, occupational therapy, or a combination of them. Effectiveness is defined as the positive change from baseline values to the last follow-up point. The Cochrane's revised risk-of-bias tool was used to determine the quality of included trials. A metaregression analysis was conducted to determine the effect of "time since last stroke" on reported outcomes. Publication bias and sensitivity analyses were also carried out. A total of 19 studies (17 randomized controlled trials, 1 cohort study, and 1 crossover trial) were included in the qualitative analysis, whereas 16 trials were meta-analyzed. A great improvement in motor function was noted in the VR group, when compared to preintervention values [standardized mean difference (SMD) = 1.14; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.77-1.52;

Indexed as

conventional therapy 3metarehabilitationsubacute strokevirtual reality

Identifiers

PMID34025553
PMCPMC8131676
OpenAlexW3157484972

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.