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

• Published in: The American journal of occupational therapy Vol. 74; no. 5; p. 7405205060p1
• Main Authors: Saldana, David, Neureither, Meghan, Schmiesing, Allie, Jahng, Esther, Kysh, Lynn, Roll, Shawn C, Liew, Sook-Lei
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 01.09.2020
• Subjects: Adult; Humans; Parkinson Disease; Virtual Reality
• ISSN: 0272-9490
• DOI: 10.5014/ajot.2020.041442

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