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Published on: October 6, 2016
Videogames and Health Improvement: A Literature Review of Randomized Controlled Trials
Esmaeel Rahmani1, Suzanne Austin Boren1,2
11 Department of Health Management and Informatics, School of Medicine, University of Missouri , Columbia, Missouri.
Objective:
There are potential benefits of playing videogames for health improvement such as increasing knowledge about health-related issues by playing educational games and fighting a sedentary lifestyle by playing exergames. The number of systematic review articles about "videogames" and "health improvement" is limited. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to review those randomized controlled trials (RCTs) with the topic of "videogames" and "health improvement."
Materials And Methods:
Several electronic databases were searched for RCTs testing videogames on health outcomes that were published in English between January 2000 and April 2012.
Results:
Forty-five articles met the eligibility criteria and were categorized into five groups: (1) videogames and patient pain and stress reduction (nine articles), (2) videogames and patient behavioral change (19 articles), (3) videogames and patient rehabilitation (eight articles), (4) videogames as diagnostic tools (three articles), and (5) videogames and cognitive ability (six articles).
Conclusions:
Most of the articles have shown promising results in using videogames within various fields of healthcare. Although exergames are the most prominent choice regarding health improvement, videogames have the potential to be used as a pain management tool, diagnostic tool, or educational tool. They also can be used as a facilitator in physical rehabilitation or cognitive loss prevention. More RCTs are needed to fully uncover the benefits of using videogames for improving patients' health.
