JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Due to a high number of patients affected by Long or Post COVID, an essential step to address the long-term effects lies in the development and implementation of flexible and accessible rehabilitation programs.

Objective:

Virtual reality technologies (VR) offer the potential to support traditional therapies with individualized at home programs. This study aims to provide an overview of existing scientific evidence on the development and implementation of VR-assisted respiratory rehabilitation programs for Long/Post COVID patients and to synthesize the results.

Methods:

A scoping review was conducted: Six databases (PubMed, Cinahl, Cochrane, ScienceDirect, Web of Science Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), PEDro) were searched using an exploratory search strategy. Seven publications were included into the qualitative analysis.

Results:

Included studies demonstrate that VR-supported respiratory rehabilitation programs show first positive outcomes in terms of physical as well as psychological parameters. Particularly noteworthy are the increased motivation and compliance of patients. However, adverse effects and a lack of usability are barriers to the implementation of this innovative approach.

Conclusions:

Overall, VR is a promising technology for the implementation of individualized and flexible respiratory rehabilitation programs for Long/Post COVID patients. However, corresponding approaches are still under development and need to be more closely adapted to the needs of the users.