ArticleBMJ open2025
Virtual reality interventions to reduce social isolation in older adults: a protocol for systematic review.
Article in BMJ open, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
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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
0 citing papers in PubMed.
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Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
introductionSocial isolation and loneliness are prevalent among older adults and associated with negative health outcomes. Virtual reality (VR) interventions have emerged as a potential approach to address this problem, but their effectiveness remains unclear. This systematic review aims to synthesise evidence on the effects of VR interventions on social isolation and loneliness in adults aged 60 years and older. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: We will search PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, CINAHL, MEDLINE, The Cochrane Library, PsycINFO and Scopus from inception to February 2025 for randomised controlled trials, quasi-experimental studies and before-after studies that evaluate VR interventions compared with usual care, wait-list, no treatment or other active interventions in older adults. The primary outcomes will be measures of social isolation and loneliness assessed with validated scales. Secondary outcomes will include depression, quality of life, cognitive function, physical function and adverse events. Two reviewers will independently screen, select and extract data from studies. Risk of bias will be evaluated using the Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool 2 for randomised trials and ROBINS-I for non-randomised studies. If feasible, meta-analysis will be performed; otherwise, a narrative synthesis will be conducted. The quality of evidence will be assessed using GRADE. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Ethical approval is not required for this systematic review, as it will only include published data. The review findings will be disseminated through a peer-reviewed publication and conference presentations. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42025637230.
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