Evidence mapPaperPMID 40112188Full record

SynthesisJournal of the American Medical Informatics Association : JAMIA2025

Equity implications of extended reality technologies for health and procedural anxiety: a systematic review and implementation-focused framework.

Tom Arthur, Sophie Robinson, Samuel Vine, Lauren Asare, G J Melendez-Torres

Abstract readSystematic Review
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association : JAMIA, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Diversity, equity, and inclusion matter for biomedical and health informatics.Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association : JAMIA · 2025
    Article
  3. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Tom ArthurDepartment of Public Health and Sports Sciences, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter EX1 2LU, United Kingdom.ORCID 0000-0002-1018-3627
Sophie RobinsonDepartment of Public Health and Sports Sciences, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter EX1 2LU, United Kingdom.
Samuel VineDepartment of Public Health and Sports Sciences, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter EX1 2LU, United Kingdom.
Lauren AsareDepartment of Public Health and Sports Sciences, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter EX1 2LU, United Kingdom.
G J Melendez-TorresDepartment of Public Health and Sports Sciences, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter EX1 2LU, United Kingdom.

Funding

Care Research Senior InvestigatorInnovate UK 10051972National Institute for HealthNational Institute for Health and Care Research 10051972
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectivesExtended reality (XR) applications are gaining support as a method of reducing anxieties about medical treatments and conditions; however, their impacts on health service inequalities remain underresearched. We therefore undertook a synthesis of evidence relating to the equity implications of these types of interventions. MATERIALS AND

methodsSearches of MEDLINE, Embase, APA PsycINFO, and Epistemonikos were conducted in May 2023 to identify reviews of patient-directed XR interventions for health and procedural anxiety. Equity-relevant data were extracted from records (n = 56) that met these criteria, and from individual trials (n = 63) evaluated within 5 priority reviews. Analyses deductively categorized data into salient situation- and technology-related mechanisms, which were then developed into a novel implementation-focused framework.

resultsAnalyses highlighted various mechanisms that impact on the availability, accessibility, and/or acceptability of services aiming to reduce patient health and procedural anxieties. On one hand, results showed that XR solutions offer unique opportunities for addressing health inequities, especially those concerning transport, cost, or mobility barriers. At the same time, however, these interventions can accelerate areas of inequity or even engender additional disparities. DISCUSSION: Our "double jeopardy, common impact" framework outlines unique pathways through which XR could help address health disparities, but also accelerate or even generate inequity across different systems, communities, and individuals. This framework can be used to guide prospective interventions and assessments.

conclusionDespite growing positive assertions about XR's capabilities for managing patient anxieties, we emphasize the need for taking a cautious, inclusive approach to implementation in future programs.

Indexed as

AnxietyHealthcare DisparitiesHealth EquityHealth Services AccessibilityHumansanxietydigital healthhealth inequitiesphobiarealist synthesis

Identifiers

PMID40112188
PMCPMC12012361

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.