ReviewTechnical innovations & patient support in radiation oncology2023
Using virtual reality to prepare patients for radiotherapy: A systematic review of interventional studies with educational sessions.
Review in Technical innovations & patient support in radiation oncology, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 16 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled 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.
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.
Who cites it
16 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Equity implications of extended reality technologies for health and procedural anxiety: a systematic review and implementation-focused framework.Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association : JAMIA · 2025Pooled it
- A systematic review of immersive educational technologies in medical physics and radiation physics.Frontiers in medicine · 2024Pooled it
- Immersive Patient Education in Radiation Oncology: A Prospective, Randomized, Feasibility Pilot Study.Cureus · 2026Article
- The Contemporary Role of Virtual and Augmented Reality in Radiation Oncology: A Review.Current oncology (Toronto, Ont.) · 2026Review
- Scoping insights into the application of virtual reality in patient care and clinical practice.Osong public health and research perspectives · 2026Article
- Healing Beams: Radiation and Radiotherapy in Novels, Poems, Music, Film, Painting.Journal of medical radiation sciences · 2026Review
- Utilization of extended-reality technologies in the field of medical radiation.Radiological physics and technology · 2026Review
- Patient Perspectives on AI- and XR-Enabled Telemedicine: A Cross-Sectional Survey in Romania.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- A Mixed Scoping and Narrative Review of Immersive Technologies Applied to Patients for Pain, Anxiety, and Distress in Radiology and Radiotherapy.Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- Virtual Reality to Improve the Psychological and Physical Well-Being in Cancer Patients: An Umbrella Review.Cancers · 2024Review
- Virtual Reality in Cancer Care: Enhancing Knowledge and Reducing Anxiety about Chemotherapy among Patients and Caregivers.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2024Article
- On Patient Experience and Anxiety During Treatment With Magnetic Resonance-Guided Radiation Therapy.Advances in radiation oncology · 2024Article
- Design and implementation of a prototype radiotherapy menu in a patient portal.Journal of applied clinical medical physics · 2024Article
- Smartphone-based augmented reality patient education in radiation oncology.Technical innovations & patient support in radiation oncology · 2024Article
- Development of a smartphone virtual reality game to support the radiation therapy of children and adolescents in proton centers.Frontiers in pediatrics · 2023Article
- Extended reality interventions for health and procedural anxiety: An overview of reviews.Digital healthReview
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Purpose: To understand the impact of radiotherapy educational sessions with virtual reality on oncologic adult patients' psychological and cognitive outcomes related to the treatment experience. Methods: This review was performed according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews guidelines. A systematic electronic search in three databases, MEDLINE, Scopus, and Web of Science, was conducted in December 2021 to find interventional studies with adult patients undergoing external radiotherapy who received an educational session with virtual reality before or during the treatment. The studies that provided qualitative or quantitative information about the impact of educational sessions on patients' psychological and cognitive dimensions related to RT experience were retained for analysis. Results: Of the 25 records found, eight articles about seven studies were analysed that involved 376 patients with different oncological pathologies. Most studies evaluated knowledge and treatment-related anxiety, mainly through self-reported questionnaires. The analysis showed a significant improvement in patients' knowledge and comprehension of radiotherapy treatment. Anxiety levels also decreased with virtual reality educational sessions and throughout the treatment in almost all the studies, although with less homogeneous results. Conclusion: Virtual reality methods in standard educational sessions can enhance cancer patients' preparation for radiation therapy by increasing their understanding of treatment and reducing anxiety.
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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.