Table 4.
Themes of healthcare VR apps available on mainstream HMDs.
| Themes and subthemes | Definition | App Count | HTC Vive | Oculus Quest | Valve index | Windows MR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Life science education | ||||||
| 3D anatomy | Apps that support human anatomy learning through the use of 3D models | 18 | 12 | 11 | 8 | 8 |
| Physiology and pathology | Apps that support learning about physiology and diseases | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Biochemistry | Apps that support learning about biochemistry | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 1 |
| Genetics | Apps that support learning about genetics | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Rehabilitation | ||||||
| Physical rehabilitation | Apps that aim to promote, maintain, or restore physical health | 3 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 0 |
| Mental rehabilitation | Apps that aim to promote, maintain, or restore mental health | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 2 |
| Phobia therapy | Apps that aim to help people overcome their phobias | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Public health training | ||||||
| Safety | Apps that allow users to learn about and develop occupational safety skills | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Life-saving skills | Apps that allow users to develop life-saving skills | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Management | Apps that allow users to develop public health management skills | 3 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| Medical training | ||||||
| Surgical simulators | Apps that allow users to train on surgical techniques | 6 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 1 |
| Patient simulators | Apps that allow the users to interact with virtual patients as part of clinical training | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Role-playing as a patient | Apps that allow learning about a specific health issue by being in the affected person's shoes | 5 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 0 |
| 3D Medical imagery viewing | Apps that allow the visualization of medical imagery in 3D | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Children's health | Healthcare apps specifically built for children | 3 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Online health communities | Apps that allow patients to form virtual communities to support one another | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |