Effects of virtual reality-based pulmonary rehabilitation in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: A meta-analysis

• Published in: Medicine (Baltimore) 2023-12, Vol.102 (52), p.e36702-e36702
• Main Authors: Chai, Xiuqin, Wu, Lingyun, He, Zhihong
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: China; Humans; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive - rehabilitation; Quality of Life; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis; Virtual Reality
• ISSN: 0025-7974; 1536-5964
• DOI: 10.1097/MD.0000000000036702

Virtual reality (VR)-based pulmonary rehabilitation has been used in the management of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The efficacy of VR-based pulmonary rehabilitation for improving lung function in patients with COPD is controversial. Therefore, the aim of this meta-analysis was to evaluate the efficacy of VR combined with pulmonary rehabilitation for lung function in patients with COPD. This study followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. The search was performed in the Cochrane Library, EMBASE, Web of Science, PubMed, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure databases from inception to February 1, 2023. All included studies were randomized controlled trials that assessed VR combined with pulmonary rehabilitation for COPD patients. The effect size was calculated with standardized mean difference (SMD) and its 95% confidence interval (CI). The Cochrane Collaboration tool was used to assess the risk of bias. Publication bias was assessed by Egger test. A total of 11 studies met the inclusion criteria and were included in this study. The combined effect size showed that VR combined with pulmonary rehabilitation was more effective than pulmonary rehabilitation alone at improving forced expiratory volume in 1 second% (SMD: 0.51; 95% CI 0.19,0.82; P = .002), forced expiratory volume in 1 second/forced vital capacity (SMD: 0.71; 95% CI 0.49,0.93; P