What question did this study set out to answer?

To evaluate the effects of immersive and nonimmersive virtual reality on functional capacity, dyspnea, lung function, quality of life, mental health, and adherence in individuals with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

September 17, 2026Cardiopulmonary Physical Therapy Journal

Virtual Reality for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

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Authors

HKH. Kim MJMichael Jung ALAnna Louise Lafreniere

Discussion

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Overview

Systematic review finds virtual reality yields exercise outcomes comparable to standard pulmonary rehabilitation in COPD, indicating potential benefits from immersive formats.

Key Points

To evaluate the effects of immersive and nonimmersive virtual reality on functional capacity, dyspnea, lung function, quality of life, mental health, and adherence in individuals with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Systematic search of PubMed, MEDLINE, and CINAHL through June 2025 identifying 12 experimental studies evaluating virtual reality in COPD.
Risk of bias evaluated via RoB 2 for randomized trials and ROBINS-I for nonrandomized studies.
Random-effects meta-analyses performed for primary functional outcomes and dyspnea, supplemented by subgroup analyses by VR type (immersive vs. nonimmersive).
Risk of bias assessments classified 4 randomized trials as low, 3 moderate, and 1 high risk, while nonrandomized studies included 2 moderate and 2 high risk.
Pooled analyses comparing VR to conventional rehabilitation showed no statistically significant differences in the six-minute walk test (SMD = 0.98, 95% CI [−1.89, 3.85]), the sit-to-stand test (SMD = 1.49, 95% CI [−0.85, 3.83]), or dyspnea (SMD = −0.41, 95% CI [−0.88, 0.07]).
Subgroup analyses revealed greater reductions in dyspnea associated with immersive VR compared to nonimmersive approaches, though high heterogeneity and small sample sizes limited overall pooling for lung function and quality of life.

Cite This Study

Kim et al. (2026) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6aabb6c75f706d05830e5727 https://doi.org/10.1097/cpt.0000000000000334

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September 17, 2026Cardiopulmonary Physical Therapy Journal

Virtual Reality for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

View Full Paper

Ask AI

Bookmark

Authors

HKH. Kim MJMichael Jung ALAnna Louise Lafreniere

Discussion

Member takes

Overview

Systematic review finds virtual reality yields exercise outcomes comparable to standard pulmonary rehabilitation in COPD, indicating potential benefits from immersive formats.

Key Points

To evaluate the effects of immersive and nonimmersive virtual reality on functional capacity, dyspnea, lung function, quality of life, mental health, and adherence in individuals with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Systematic search of PubMed, MEDLINE, and CINAHL through June 2025 identifying 12 experimental studies evaluating virtual reality in COPD.
Risk of bias evaluated via RoB 2 for randomized trials and ROBINS-I for nonrandomized studies.
Random-effects meta-analyses performed for primary functional outcomes and dyspnea, supplemented by subgroup analyses by VR type (immersive vs. nonimmersive).
Risk of bias assessments classified 4 randomized trials as low, 3 moderate, and 1 high risk, while nonrandomized studies included 2 moderate and 2 high risk.
Pooled analyses comparing VR to conventional rehabilitation showed no statistically significant differences in the six-minute walk test (SMD = 0.98, 95% CI [−1.89, 3.85]), the sit-to-stand test (SMD = 1.49, 95% CI [−0.85, 3.83]), or dyspnea (SMD = −0.41, 95% CI [−0.88, 0.07]).
Subgroup analyses revealed greater reductions in dyspnea associated with immersive VR compared to nonimmersive approaches, though high heterogeneity and small sample sizes limited overall pooling for lung function and quality of life.

Cite This Study

Kim et al. (2026) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6aabb6c75f706d05830e5727 https://doi.org/10.1097/cpt.0000000000000334

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