Table 3.
Characteristics of the included meta-analyses.
| Study | Aim | Search Strategy | Search Period | Inclusion Criteria | Included Trials, n | Participants, n |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lohse et al., 2014 [64] | To demonstrate the effect of virtual reality (VR) therapy among patients after stroke in both custom built virtual environments and commercial gaming systems. | MEDLINE, CINAHL, EMBASE, ERIC, PSYCInfo, DARE, PEDro, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews | From inception to 4 April 2013 | Randomized or quasi-randomized controlled trials with adults (>18 years old) after stroke, excluding other neurological disorders. | 24 | 626 |
| Laver et al., 2017 [68] | To investigate the efficacy of VR in comparison with alternative interventions or no interventions on the function and activity of hemiparetic upper limbs. | Cochrane Stroke Group Trials Register, CENTRAL, MEDLINE, Embase, and seven additional databases | From inception to April 2017 | Randomized and quasi-randomized trials of VR rehabilitation in adults after stroke. | 72 | 2470 |
| Aminov et al., 2018 [63] | To review the evidence for VR in upper limb function and cognition after stroke. | Scopus, Cochrane Database, CINAHL, The Allied and Complementary Medicine Database, Web of Science, MEDLINE, Pre-Medline, PsycEXTRA, and PsycINFO | From inception to 28 June 2017 | Randomized controlled trials utilizing a VR to improve either motor (upper limb) function, cognitive, or activities of daily living in patients with stroke. | 31 | 971 |
| Lee et al., 2019 [67] | To evaluate the effect of VR training on lower limb, upper limb, and overall functions in patients with chronic stroke. | OVID, PubMed, and EMBASE | From January 2000 to June 2018 | Randomized controlled trials for using VR as a rehabilitation intervention in patients with chronic stroke. | 21 | 562 |
| Karamians et al., 2020 [66] | To demonstrate the efficacy of VR- and gaming-based rehabilitations for upper limb function in patients with stroke. | PubMed, CINAHL/EBSCO, SCOPUS, Ovid MEDLINE, and EMBASE | From 2005 to 2019 | Randomized controlled trials or prospective study design with outcome measures of Wolf Motor Function Test, Fugl-Meyer Assessment or Action Research Arm Test in patients who had poststroke upper extremity deficits. | 38 | 1198 |
| Mekbib et al., 2020 [65] | To evaluate the therapeutic effect of VR compared to dose-matched conventional therapy in patients with stroke. | EMBASE, MEDLINE, PubMed, and Web of Science | From 2010 to February 2019 | Randomized controlled trials that allocated patients either to a VR therapy or to a dose-matched conventional therapy. | 27 | 1094 |