Applications of Head-Mounted Displays for Virtual Reality in Adult Physical Rehabilitation: A Scoping Review

David Saldana; Meghan Neureither; Allie Schmiesing; Esther Jahng; Lynn Kysh; Shawn C Roll; Sook-Lei Liew

doi:10.5014/ajot.2020.041442

Applications of Head-Mounted Displays for Virtual Reality in Adult Physical Rehabilitation: A Scoping Review

Am J Occup Ther. 2020 Sep/Oct;74(5):7405205060p1-7405205060p15. doi: 10.5014/ajot.2020.041442.

Authors

David Saldana¹, Meghan Neureither², Allie Schmiesing³, Esther Jahng⁴, Lynn Kysh⁵, Shawn C Roll⁶, Sook-Lei Liew⁷

Affiliations

¹ David Saldana, MA, OTR/L, is Occupational Therapist, Beverly Hospital, Montebello, CA. At the time of the research, he was Student, Chan Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, University of Southern California, Los Angeles.
² Meghan Neureither, OTD, OTR/L, is Occupational Therapist, Riverside Community Hospital, Riverside, CA. At the time of the research, she was Student, Chan Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, University of Southern California, Los Angeles.
³ Allie Schmiesing, OTD, OTR/L, is Occupational Therapist, Stanford Hospital, Palo Alto, CA. At the time of the research, she was Student, Chan Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, University of Southern California, Los Angeles.
⁴ Esther Jahng, MA, OTR/L, is Student, Chan Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, University of Southern California, Los Angeles.
⁵ Lynn Kysh, MS, is Clinical and Research Librarian, Institute for Nursing and Interprofessional Research, Children's Hospital of Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA.
⁶ Shawn C. Roll, PhD, OTR/L, RMSKS, FAOTA, FAIUM, is Associate Professor, Chan Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, University of Southern California, Los Angeles.
⁷ Sook-Lei Liew, PhD, OTR/L, is Assistant Professor, Chan Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, University of Southern California, Los Angeles; sliew@usc.edu.

Abstract

Importance: Head-mounted displays for virtual reality (HMD-VR) may be used as a therapeutic medium in physical rehabilitation because of their ability to immerse patients in safe, controlled, and engaging virtual worlds.

Objective: To explore how HMD-VR has been used in adult physical rehabilitation.

Data sources: A systematic search of MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane Library, CINAHL, Web of Science, PsycINFO, and ERIC produced 11,453 abstracts, of which 777 underwent full-text review.

Study selection and data collection: This scoping review includes 21 experimental studies that reported an assessment or intervention using HMD-VR in a physical rehabilitation context and within the scope of occupational therapy practice.

Findings: HMD-VR was used for assessment and intervention for patients with a range of disorders, including stroke, multiple sclerosis, spinal cord injury, and Parkinson's disease.

Conclusions and relevance: HMD-VR is an emerging technology with many uses in adult physical rehabilitation. Higher quality clinical implementation studies are needed to examine effects on patient outcomes.

What this article adds: We review existing research on how immersive virtual reality (e.g., using head-mounted displays) has been used for different clinical populations in adult physical rehabilitation and highlight emerging opportunities in this field for occupational therapists.

Publication types

Scoping Review

MeSH terms

Adult
Humans
Parkinson Disease*
Virtual Reality*

Grants and funding

K01 HD091283/HD/NICHD NIH HHS/United States