Do Extended Reality Interventions Benefit Patients Undergoing Elective Cardiac Surgical and Interventional Procedures? A Systematic Review and Meta‐analysis

ABSTRACT

Background

Extended reality (XR) interventions have the potential to benefit patients undergoing elective cardiac surgical and interventional procedures. However, there are no systematic reviews with meta-analyses to guide clinical care.

Aim

To critically evaluate the evidence on the effectiveness of XR interventions on patient anxiety and pain and other associated outcomes.

Design

Systematic review and meta-analysis following the PRISMA 2020 statement.

Data Sources

A systematic search of five databases (CENTRAL, CINAHL, MEDLINE, PsycInfo, Scopus) from inception to July 2023.

Methods

Screening and data extraction was conducted independently by multiple reviewers. Stata (Version 17) was used to conduct meta-analyses for patient anxiety and pain. Secondary patient outcomes were summarised in a synthesis. The Cochrane Risk of Bias (Version 2) tool was applied to trials and the NHLBI Study Quality Assessment tools to all other study designs.

Results

Of the 3372 records identified, 22 were included, 10 of which were eligible for inclusion in the meta-analyses. Fifty-seven percent of randomised trials were rated as high risk of bias. Virtual reality (VR) was the only XR technology evaluated. VR significantly reduced pre-procedural anxiety (standardised mean difference: −1.29; 95% confidence interval − 1.96, −0.62, p < 0.001), and peri-procedural anxiety (standardised mean difference: −0.50; 95% confidence interval − 0.83, −0.18, p < 0.003) but did not reduce pain levels, compared with usual care. VR increased pre-procedural knowledge and postsurgical physical and pulmonary function. VR interventions may also improve emotional wellbeing, care delivery and physiological outcomes, but evidence was inconsistent.

Conclusions

XR potentially benefits cardiac patients undergoing elective invasive procedures and surgery by reducing pre- and peri-procedural anxiety and increasing procedural knowledge and physical function.

Relevance to Clinical Practice

Cardiac nurses' role can be supported by VR interventions to improve the patient experience and several aspects of patient care.

Patient or Public Contribution

Not applicable as this is a systematic review.