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Review
. 2025 Jun 15;25(12):3748.
doi: 10.3390/s25123748.

Transforming Healthcare: A Comprehensive Review of Augmented and Virtual Reality Interventions

Aristeidis Petrakis  1 , Lefteris Koumakis  1 , Eleni Kazantzaki  2 , Haridimos Kondylakis  1   3
Affiliations
Review

Transforming Healthcare: A Comprehensive Review of Augmented and Virtual Reality Interventions

Aristeidis Petrakis et al. Sensors (Basel). .

Abstract

Augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) technologies have rapidly expanded within healthcare due to their innovative capabilities for enhancing patient care, medical training, and health outcomes. This systematic review synthesizes quantitative studies published post-2020, explicitly investigating AR and VR healthcare interventions. The review identifies, evaluates, and summarizes the effectiveness of these interventions, highlighting their clinical implications, outcomes, and implementation challenges. Twenty eligible studies were included, examining various health conditions such as cardiopulmonary resuscitation training, mental health disorders, stroke rehabilitation, and orthopedic recovery. Findings indicate generally positive outcomes from AR and VR interventions; however, issues including technology usability, adherence, and methodological limitations are noted. This review underscores the significant potential of AR and VR interventions in healthcare, but emphasizes the need for more rigorous research to address current gaps in the clinical effectiveness and application.

Keywords: augmented reality; healthcare; virtual reality.

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Conflict of interest statement

Author Eleni Kazantzaki was employed by the company Polar Owl. The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
AR vs. VR interventions.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Prisma flowchart.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Target conditions (left) and intervention types (right).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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