Extended Reality Analgesia Evidence Reviews Often Lack Sufficient Intervention Detail.

Area of Science:

• Medical Informatics
• Health Technology Assessment
• Pain Management

Background:

• Evidence synthesis, including systematic reviews and meta-analyses, is crucial for summarizing research findings.
• Medical extended reality (MXR) interventions present complex factors that influence study generalizability.
• Characterizing intervention features in MXR evidence syntheses is essential for robust conclusions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To quantify the characterization of intervention features in recent evidence syntheses of MXR interventions for pain management.
• To assess the level of detail provided regarding MXR intervention content and hardware in published reviews.
• To identify variability in reporting and provide recommendations for future evidence syntheses.

Main Methods:

• Quantitative content analysis of English-language scoping reviews, systematic reviews, and meta-analyses published between 2021-2023.
• Evaluation of MXR-based interventions for pain management across various settings.
• Assessment of how intervention content and hardware details were described in the primary studies.

Main Results:

• 48% of syntheses provided minimal description of MXR intervention content, while 23% offered substantial descriptions.
• Hardware details were substantially reported in 46% of publications, minimally in 25%, and not at all in 30%.
• Only 25% of meta-analyses explicitly evaluated the role of intervention features in efficacy.

Conclusions:

• Significant variability exists in reporting intervention content and hardware within MXR evidence syntheses.
• This lack of detailed characterization limits the generalizability and accuracy of conclusions drawn from these syntheses.
• Recommendations are proposed to enhance the reporting standards for future MXR evidence syntheses.