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. 2025 Apr 28:14:e63600.
doi: 10.2196/63600.

Gamification in mHealth Apps for Rehabilitation: Protocol for a Scoping Review

Jacqueline Dawson  1 , Randall Nee #  1 , Christian Ramirez #  1 , Sharlene Reyes #  1 , David Sanchez #  1 , Tulsi Sukhadia #  1 , Andrew Bartlett  2
Affiliations

Gamification in mHealth Apps for Rehabilitation: Protocol for a Scoping Review

Jacqueline Dawson et al. JMIR Res Protoc. .

Abstract

Background: The use of gamification in physical therapy mobile health interventions has increased rapidly in recent years, particularly with self-management of exercise in a home environment. Prior research has focused broadly on digital exergames, such as virtual reality or video games, or specifically on single concerns, such as stroke or musculoskeletal rehabilitation.

Objective: This scoping review aims to identify studies that have implemented gamification in rehabilitative interventions through mobile apps to treat all conditions addressed by physical therapists. Characteristics related to the rehabilitative process, gamification elements, and patient-related outcomes will be examined.

Methods: A literature search will be conducted on the following databases: MEDLINE (Ovid), Embase, CINAHL, PeDRO, Scopus, and Web of Science. Study inclusion criteria will be based on the PICO (Population, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome) framework, with publications describing the use of a gamified mobile app in a movement-based intervention in any area of physical therapy included. The reporting of results will adhere to PRISMA-ScR (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews). A narrative synthesis of included publications will be performed.

Results: Database searches were completed in May 2024 and yielded 2148 publications, with an additional 49 records identified through manual searching of references. Title and abstract screening, full-text screening, and data extraction are expected to be completed by April 2025. The review is expected to be completed by September 2025.

Conclusions: Findings from this scoping review will provide evidence on gamified mobile apps to assist physical rehabilitation professionals with decision-making on remote interventions. Understanding game elements used in rehabilitative mobile apps may enhance patient engagement and adherence, which may ultimately improve patient-related outcomes.

Trial registration: Open Science Framework fz9nq; https://osf.io/fz9nq.

Keywords: digital health; gamification; home exercise program; mHealth; mobile health; mobile health app; rehabilitation; remote physical therapy; scoping review; telerehabilitation.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of Interest: None declared.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) flow diagram for selection of studies used in the analysis.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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