ReviewCureus2023
The Impact of Virtual Reality (VR) Gaming and Casual/Social Gaming on the Quality of Life, Depression, and Dialysis Tolerance in Patients With Chronic Kidney Disease: A Narrative Review.
Review in Cureus, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers, 1 of them a synthesis 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
10 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 12 citations in OpenAlex.
- Effectiveness of Virtual Reality Training in Improving Outcomes for Dialysis Patients: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Journal of medical Internet research · 2025Pooled it
- The Impact of Exercises and Physical Activity Programs on Paediatric Patients Undergoing Haemodialysis in Africa: A Scoping Review.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Assessment of Depression and Anxiety in Hemodialysis Patients Undergoing VR Therapy-Pilot Study.Journal of clinical medicine · 2026Article
- A survey on medication adherence and influencing factors among 226 peritoneal dialysis patients in a primary hospital in China.BMC nephrology · 2025Article
- A Bibliometric Study of the Evidence About Applying Virtual Reality in Mental Health Care.Journal of multidisciplinary healthcare · 2025Review
- Transcranial magnetic stimulation combined with virtual reality improves quality of life in patients with Parkinson's disease with depression.Frontiers in neurology · 2025Article
- A Pilot Study of Virtual Reality in Hemodialysis for Mitigating Pain and Anxiety: User Experiences and Perceptions.Patient preference and adherence · 2025Article
- Treatment of chronic kidney disease in older populations.Nature reviews. Nephrology · 2024Review
- Physical activity and exercise in chronic kidney disease: consensus statements from the Physical Exercise Working Group of the Italian Society of Nephrology.Journal of nephrology · 2024Article
- Simulation-based learning in nephrology.Clinical kidney journal · 2024Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
11 authors at 11 institutions in 6 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
This comprehensive narrative review aims to investigate the impact of virtual reality (VR) and social gaming on the quality of life, depression, and dialysis tolerance in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD), a growing global health concern affecting the quality of life and increasing mortality rates. Through a combination of exercise and video games, exergaming, and digital game therapy (DGT), sedentary risks can be mitigated and therapy adherence enhanced. Despite potential side effects such as exhaustion and nausea, research indicates that virtual therapeutic games improve motivation and dialysis tolerance, and even reduce brain activity in pain-associated regions during procedures. These methods are superior to traditional distraction techniques like music, movies, and toys. Exergaming, social gaming, and VR gaming can improve various health factors including depressive symptoms, functional capacity, muscle strength, fatigue, physical activity, mental health, motivation, engagement, cognition, and overall quality of life for CKD patients. Representing a novel approach to CKD management, these interventions promote physical activity, cognitive stimulation, and social interaction. Continued research and innovation will facilitate the integration of VR-based therapies into routine CKD care.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
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.