While the majority of professionals and patients are not yet informed about the therapeutic benefits of virtual reality, the number of clinical trials and publications is rising quickly, thanks to the collaborations between virtual reality solutions start-ups and clinical research centers. They are a necessary first step in the adoption process of a new technology and a growing number of centers are using virtual reality beyond the trials. This article reports on the geography of clinical trials, their number, the main use cases being studies, and provides examples of systematic reviews and meta-analyses.
Europe and the United States are leading the way with 60% of the 2014 clinical trials listed on ClinicalTrials.gov, as of April 19th, 2023. The total number of trials has approximately doubled in the past 3 years. The trials concern 882 conditions as defined by ClinicalTrials.gov. As to publications, in the past year, more than 40 meta-analyses and review articles were published, according to Medline.
