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Mapping the Evidence on Metaverse Use in Cancer Control for Children and Adolescents: A Scoping Review
ABSTRACT
Background:
Cancer in children and adolescents causes physical, psychological, and social challenges—not only in children and adolescents but across various groups (eg, caregivers and health professionals). To mitigate these burdens and enhance the quality of life of the affected individuals, effective healthcare services that can address patients’ diverse needs are required. Meanwhile, the metaverse has garnered increasing attention in the digital health field because it enables a high degree of autonomy and flexibility in users’ interactions. However, research into the use of the metaverse within the context of cancer control for children and adolescents remains scarce.
Objective:
This scoping review aimed to systematically explore how the metaverse has been used in cancer prevention and care for children and adolescents, as well as propose future directions for the metaverse’s implementation within the context of cancer control.
Methods:
This study complied with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews guidelines and the Joanna Briggs Institute’s framework for scoping reviews. We conducted a comprehensive literature search in the PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Web of Science Core Collection, Scopus, CINAHL Plus with Full Text, and American Psychological Association PsycINFO databases.
Results:
From 2,191 records identified through the initial search, 67 studies were included in the review, comprising 44 quantitative, seven qualitative, and 18 mixed-methods studies. All studies focused on metaverse-based interventions for cancer care, while no studies addressed cancer prevention. Most studies were published between 2019 and 2023 (28/67, 42%). In terms of location, most studies were conducted in Asia (23/67, 34%), followed by Europe (21/67, 31%) and North America (18/67, 27%). Of the included studies, 58 (87%) and 54 (81%) predominantly included adolescents and children as participants, respectively. Almost all studies included patients with cancer (65/67, 97%). Symptom management was the most frequently examined target outcome (57/67, 85%), followed by metaverse preferences (24/67, 36%). Physical (55/67, 82%) and psychological (37/67, 55 %) symptoms were frequently reported.
Conclusions:
This review illustrates the current research trends in the use of metaverse technology for cancer control for children and adolescents. By examining the literature, this review confirms the growing research interest in metaverse applications for cancer control, which underscores a predominant focus on cancer care rather than cancer prevention for children and adolescents. However, some research biases were detected, indicating the need for further efforts to develop and implement metaverse-based interventions in relatively underexplored areas. Among these efforts, actively conducting cancer prevention research based on a profound understanding of the metaverse’s characteristics, such as its high level of interactivity, may amplify the potential of the medical metaverse.
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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.