Background Virtual reality (VR) technology has been widely used in rehabilitation training because of its immersive, interactive, and imaginative features. A comprehensive bibliometric review is required to help researchers focus on future directions based on the new definitions of VR technologies in rehabilitation, which reveal new situations and requirements. Objective Herein, we aimed to summarize effective research methods for and potential innovative approaches to VR rehabilitation by evaluating publications from various countries to encourage research on efficient strategies to improve VR rehabilitation. Methods The SCIE (Science Citation Index Expanded) database was searched on January 20, 2022, for publications related to the application of VR technology in rehabilitation research. We found 1617 papers, and we created a clustered network, using the 46,116 references cited in the papers. CiteSpace V (Drexel University) and VOSviewer (Leiden University) were used to identify countries, institutions, journals, keywords, cocited references, and research hot spots. Results A total of 63 countries and 1921 institutes have contributed publications. The United States of America has taken the leading position in this field; it has the highest number of publications; the highest h-index; and the largest collaborative network, which includes other countries. The reference clusters of SCIE papers were divided into the following nine categories: kinematics, neurorehabilitation, brain injury, exergames, aging, motor rehabilitation, mobility, cerebral palsy, and exercise intensity. The research frontiers were represented by the following keywords: video games (2017-2021), and young adults (2018-2021). Conclusions Our study comprehensively assesses the current research state of VR rehabilitation and analyzes the current research hot spots and future trends in the field, with the aims of providing resources for more intensive investigation and encouraging more researchers to further develop VR rehabilitation.
BACKGROUND Virtual reality (VR) technology has been widely used in rehabilitation training because of its immersive, interactive, and imaginative features. A comprehensive bibliometric review is required to help researchers focus on future directions based on the new definitions of VR technologies in rehabilitation, which reveal new situations and requirements. OBJECTIVE Herein, we aimed to summarize effective research methods for and potential innovative approaches to VR rehabilitation by evaluating publications from various countries to encourage research on efficient strategies to improve VR rehabilitation. METHODS The SCIE (Science Citation Index Expanded) database was searched on January 20, 2022, for publications related to the application of VR technology in rehabilitation research. We found 1617 papers, and we created a clustered network, using the 46,116 references cited in the papers. CiteSpace V (Drexel University) and VOSviewer (Leiden University) were used to identify countries, institutions, journals, keywords, cocited references, and research hot spots. RESULTS A total of 63 countries and 1921 institutes have contributed publications. The United States of America has taken the leading position in this field; it has the highest number of publications; the highest h-index; and the largest collaborative network, which includes other countries. The reference clusters of SCIE papers were divided into the following nine categories: kinematics, neurorehabilitation, brain injury, exergames, aging, motor rehabilitation, mobility, cerebral palsy, and exercise intensity. The research frontiers were represented by the following keywords: <i>video games</i> (2017-2021), and <i>young adults</i> (2018-2021). CONCLUSIONS Our study comprehensively assesses the current research state of VR rehabilitation and analyzes the current research hot spots and future trends in the field, with the aims of providing resources for more intensive investigation and encouraging more researchers to further develop VR rehabilitation.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.