TY  - JOUR
AU  - Yeung, Andy Wai Kan
AU  - Tosevska, Anela
AU  - Klager, Elisabeth
AU  - Eibensteiner, Fabian
AU  - Laxar, Daniel
AU  - Stoyanov, Jivko
AU  - Glisic, Marija
AU  - Zeiner, Sebastian
AU  - Kulnik, Stefan Tino
AU  - Crutzen, Rik
AU  - Kimberger, Oliver
AU  - Kletecka-Pulker, Maria
AU  - Atanasov, Atanas G
AU  - Willschke, Harald
PY  - 2021
DA  - 2021/2/10
TI  - Virtual and Augmented Reality Applications in Medicine: Analysis of the Scientific Literature
JO  - J Med Internet Res
SP  - e25499
VL  - 23
IS  - 2
KW  - virtual reality
KW  - augmented reality
KW  - mixed reality
KW  - bibliometric
KW  - surgical procedures
KW  - rehabilitation
KW  - neurodegenerative disorder
KW  - pain
KW  - stroke
KW  - medicine
AB  - 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. 
SN  - 1438-8871
UR  - http://www.jmir.org/2021/2/e25499/
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2196/25499
UR  - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/33565986
DO  - 10.2196/25499
ID  - info:doi/10.2196/25499
ER  -