Accepted for/Published in: Journal of Medical Internet Research
Date Submitted: Mar 14, 2024
Date Accepted: Nov 13, 2024
Effectiveness of Virtual Reality Training in Improving Outcomes for Dialysis Patients: A Meta-Analysis
ABSTRACT
Background:
Virtual reality (VR) training is a computer-generated simulation environment, allowing users to interact with the virtual environment and experience a sense of immersion. The application of VR in dialysis patients is gradually being explored.
Objective:
This study aims to meta-analyze the effectiveness of virtual reality training in dialysis patients regarding motor ability, psychological symptoms, social functioning, and self-efficacy.
Methods:
The effectiveness of VR in dialysis patients was analyzed using the Cochrane method for meta-analysis. Searches were conducted in the China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wan Fang Database, VIP Journal Database, China Biomedical Literature Database, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, PubMed, and Embase from inception to December 2023 to identify studies on the effectiveness of VR in terms of motor ability, psychological symptoms, social functioning, and self-efficacy. Study selection and data extraction were performed independently by two researchers. The methodological quality of selected studies was determined using Cochrane's risk of bias assessment criteria.
Results:
A total of 12 studies involving 625 patients were included for analysis. We found that compared to other training methods, VR significantly improved patients' 6-minute walk test scores (standard mean difference [SMD]=29.36, 95% CI 14.32 to 44.40, P=.0001, I2=46%), depression (SMD=-6.30, 95% CI -7.14 to -5.47, P<.00001, I2=96%), anxiety (SMD=-8.91, 95% CI -9.69 to -8.17, P<.00001, I2=95%), social functioning (SMD=16.20, 95% CI 14.49 to 17.90, P<.00001, I2=72%), and self-efficacy (SMD=20.47, 95% CI 18.55 to 22.39, P<.00001, I2=99%). However, VR training showed no difference compared to the control group in gait speed, balance ability, STS-5, STS-10, STS-60, TUG, and fatigue.
Conclusions:
The results of this study indicate that VR can effectively improve the 6-minute walking ability, social functioning, and self-efficacy of dialysis patients, as well as reduce their levels of anxiety and depression. However, compared to hemodialysis, the application of VR in peritoneal dialysis patients is less common. Further expansion of sample size and experimental design are needed to confirm the results of this study.
Citation
Per the author's request the PDF is not available.
Copyright
© The authors. All rights reserved. This is a privileged document currently under peer-review/community review (or an accepted/rejected manuscript). Authors have provided JMIR Publications with an exclusive license to publish this preprint on it's website for review and ahead-of-print citation purposes only. While the final peer-reviewed paper may be licensed under a cc-by license on publication, at this stage authors and publisher expressively prohibit redistribution of this draft paper other than for review purposes.