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Virtual Reality for Pediatric Traumatic Brain Injury Rehabilitation: A Systematic Review
Jiabin Shen1,2,3, Sarah Johnson1,2,3, Cheng Chen1,2,3
1Center for Pediatric Trauma Research (JS, SJ, CC, HX).
Insights
Virtual reality (VR) shows positive effects for pediatric traumatic brain injury (TBI) physical rehabilitation. Further research is needed to explore broader outcomes and use larger samples in VR-based TBI interventions for children.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Rehabilitation Medicine
- Pediatric Neurology
Background:
- Pediatric traumatic brain injury (TBI) can lead to significant physical and psychobehavioral impairments in children.
- Effective rehabilitation is crucial for recovery and improving long-term outcomes in pediatric TBI survivors.
- Virtual reality (VR) is emerging as a promising tool in neurorehabilitation, but its efficacy in pediatric TBI requires systematic evaluation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically review the scientific literature on the effectiveness of virtual reality (VR)-based interventions for pediatric traumatic brain injury (TBI) rehabilitation.
- To synthesize current evidence regarding the impact of VR on physical and psychobehavioral outcomes in children with TBI.
- To identify gaps and provide recommendations for future research in this field.
Main Methods:
- A comprehensive systematic literature search was performed across multiple databases (PubMed, PsycInfo, SCOPUS, CENTRAL, BioMed Central, CiNAHL, Web of Science) up to November 2015.
- Two independent reviewers screened 5824 articles based on abstracts and full texts.
- Data extraction and qualitative synthesis were conducted, supplemented by a quantitative assessment of research quality.
Main Results:
- Virtual reality (VR)-based interventions demonstrated a positive impact on the physical rehabilitation of children following traumatic brain injury (TBI).
- The overall quality of the evidence was moderate, with limitations including small sample sizes and a lack of focus on socioemotional outcomes.
- Some studies lacked fully immersive VR experiences, potentially affecting the magnitude of observed effects.
Conclusions:
- The systematic review confirms that VR interventions can yield positive effects for pediatric TBI rehabilitation, particularly concerning physical recovery.
- Current research quality suggests a need for more robust studies with larger participant groups.
- Future research should broaden the scope to include socioemotional and psychobehavioral outcomes, alongside enhancing the immersiveness of VR interventions for pediatric TBI patients.
Abstract:
Objective. Pediatric traumatic brain injury (TBI) is associated with physical and psychobehavioral impairment in children. Effective rehabilitation programs postinjury are critical for children with TBI. Virtual reality (VR) has been increasingly adopted for brain injury rehabilitation. However, scientific synthesis is lacking in evaluating its effectiveness in pediatric TBI rehabilitation. This article aimed to conduct a systematic review on the effectiveness of VR-based pediatric TBI rehabilitation. Methods. A systematic literature search was conducted in PubMed, PsycInfo, SCOPUS, CENTRAL, BioMed Central, CiNAHL, and Web of Science through November 2015. Personal libraries and relevant references supplemented the search. Two authors independently reviewed the abstracts and/or full text of 5824 articles. Data extraction and qualitative synthesis was conducted along with quantitative assessment of research quality by 2 authors. Results. A positive impact was found for VR-based interventions on children's physical rehabilitation post-TBI. The quality of research evidence was moderate, which largely suffered from small samples, lack of immersive VR experience, and lack of focus on socioemotional outcomes post-TBI. Conclusions. The present review identified positive effects of VR interventions for pediatric TBI rehabilitation especially in physical outcomes. Future research should include larger samples and broader post-TBI outcomes in children using VR-based interventions.
