Virtual reality for stroke rehabilitation: time to rethink? Lessons from a Cochrane review
A recent Cochrane review on virtual reality (VR) for stroke rehabilitation found surprisingly weak conclusions despite 190 trials. The issue stems from high heterogeneity in VR definitions and interventions, with many studies having different primary outcomes. Aggregating diverse "human-computer interfaces" into a single meta-analysis is challenging, as the term "virtual reality" has evolved significantly since 2001, making consistent interpretation difficult across studies.
A recent Cochrane review, by Laver and colleagues, of virtual reality as a rehabilitation treatment for people who had had a stroke, included 190 trials and 7188 people [1]. It concluded that virtual reality “may be beneficial in slightly improving upper limb function and activity”, a surprisingly weak conclusion from such an extensive review.
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