Contraindications and adverse effects of immersive virtual reality as a therapeutic tool: scoping review
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.62827/fb.v26i1.1049Keywords:
Virtual Reality, Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy; Adverse Event, Contraindications, Procedure; Rehabilitation, Rehabilitation Services.Abstract
Introduction: The therapeutic use of virtual reality is growing exponentially as a treatment for pathologies, presenting evidence on the benefits associated with the use of immersive virtual reality (IVR). IVR ensures that the lived experience resembles an objective scenario, as it achieves an apparent embodiment. However, users may experience discomfort and report adverse symptomatology, of which little information is available. Objective: To describe contraindications and adverse effects of immersive virtual reality reported in the scientific literature. Methods: Secondary study; exploratory review. Scientific articles were selected from PubMed, Scielo, Google Scholar, Trip database, and Open Grey databases. We included studies in adults (>18 years), with the use of IVR as a therapeutic tool, primary studies (observational and experimental). We filtered by title, abstract and full text. Secondary studies, without treatment objective, letters to the editor, opinions, recommendations and comments were excluded. Bibliometric variables and variables of interest (adverse effects, contraindications, kinesic area) were extracted and arranged in a data extraction matrix in Excel. Results: Of the 5947 articles found, 912 duplicates were discarded and 5035 were excluded, leaving 293 articles included. Fifty-one adverse/side effects were reported by participants or investigators; the most reported were dizziness (13.2%), nausea (11.1%), feeling unsteady (7.7%), cybersickness (5.5%). The contraindications described were dizziness (19%), fatigue (9.5%) and nausea (7.1%). Conclusion: There is a diversity of adverse effects and contraindications described in the scientific literature. Future research should categorize the risks described under consensus criteria to prevent possible incidents.
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Copyright (c) 2025 Maria Josefina Undurraga-Tschischow, Antonia Sales-Avila, Maria Jesus Fierro-Larenas, Sebastian Lama-Andrade, Pablo Suarez-Vergara, Barbara Muñoz-Monari, Maria Jesus Mena-Iturriaga (Autor)
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