Virtual and Augmented Reality Applications in Medicine: Analysis of the Scientific Literature

Andy Wai Kan Yeung, Anela Tosevska, Elisabeth Klager, Fabian Eibensteiner, Daniel Laxar, Jivko Stoyanov, Marija Glisic, Sebastian Zeiner, Stefan Tino Kulnik, Rik Crutzen, Oliver Kimberger, Maria Kletecka-Pulker, Atanas G Atanasov, Harald Willschke, Andy Wai Kan Yeung, Anela Tosevska, Elisabeth Klager, Fabian Eibensteiner, Daniel Laxar, Jivko Stoyanov, Marija Glisic, Sebastian Zeiner, Stefan Tino Kulnik, Rik Crutzen, Oliver Kimberger, Maria Kletecka-Pulker, Atanas G Atanasov, Harald Willschke

Abstract

Background: Virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) have recently become popular research themes. However, there are no published bibliometric reports that have analyzed the corresponding scientific literature in relation to the application of these technologies in medicine.

Objective: We used a bibliometric approach to identify and analyze the scientific literature on VR and AR research in medicine, revealing the popular research topics, key authors, scientific institutions, countries, and journals. We further aimed to capture and describe the themes and medical conditions most commonly investigated by VR and AR research.

Methods: The Web of Science electronic database was searched to identify relevant papers on VR research in medicine. Basic publication and citation data were acquired using the "Analyze" and "Create Citation Report" functions of the database. Complete bibliographic data were exported to VOSviewer and Bibliometrix, dedicated bibliometric software packages, for further analyses. Visualization maps were generated to illustrate the recurring keywords and words mentioned in the titles and abstracts.

Results: The analysis was based on data from 8399 papers. Major research themes were diagnostic and surgical procedures, as well as rehabilitation. Commonly studied medical conditions were pain, stroke, anxiety, depression, fear, cancer, and neurodegenerative disorders. Overall, contributions to the literature were globally distributed with heaviest contributions from the United States and United Kingdom. Studies from more clinically related research areas such as surgery, psychology, neurosciences, and rehabilitation had higher average numbers of citations than studies from computer sciences and engineering.

Conclusions: The conducted bibliometric analysis unequivocally reveals the versatile emerging applications of VR and AR in medicine. With the further maturation of the technology and improved accessibility in countries where VR and AR research is strong, we expect it to have a marked impact on clinical practice and in the life of patients.

Keywords: augmented reality; bibliometric; medicine; mixed reality; neurodegenerative disorder; pain; rehabilitation; stroke; surgical procedures; virtual reality.

Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of Interest: None declared.

©Andy Wai Kan Yeung, Anela Tosevska, Elisabeth Klager, Fabian Eibensteiner, Daniel Laxar, Jivko Stoyanov, Marija Glisic, Sebastian Zeiner, Stefan Tino Kulnik, Rik Crutzen, Oliver Kimberger, Maria Kletecka-Pulker, Atanas G Atanasov, Harald Willschke. Originally published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research (http://www.jmir.org), 10.02.2021.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Annual publication and citation count of virtual reality research in medicine.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Term map showing phrases from publication titles and abstracts in virtual reality research in medicine. Phrases occurring in at least 0.5% (42/8399) of the publications were included. Multiple appearances in a single publication counted as one. Circle size represents the frequency of occurrence, color represents the citation per publication, and distance between 2 circles represent how 2 phrases co-occurred in the publications.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Trends in the abstract words, as determined using the Trend Topics function of Bibliometrix.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Density map showing author keywords of the publications in virtual reality research in medicine. Keywords occurring in at least 0.1% (9/8399) of the publications were included. The keywords “virtual reality,” “augmented reality,” and “mixed reality” are not shown as they were the major search terms. A keyword or cluster of keywords with higher frequency counts forms a red region, and those with lower frequency counts form a yellow region.

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Source: PubMed

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