The future of telerehabilitation: embracing virtual reality and augmented reality innovations

Pan Afr Med J. 2024 Apr 3;47:157. doi: 10.11604/pamj.2024.47.157.42956. eCollection 2024.

ABSTRACT

The integration of virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) into the telerehabilitation initiates a major change in the healthcare practice particularly in neurological and also orthopedic rehabilitation. This essay reflects the potential of the VR and AR in their capacity to create immersive, interactive environments that facilitate the recovery. The recent developments have illustrated the ability to enhance the patient engagement and outcomes, especially in tackling the complex motor and cognitive rehabilitation needs. The combination of artificial intelligence (AI) with VR and AR will bring the rehabilitation to the next level by enabling adaptive and responsive treatment programs provided through real-time feedback and predictive analytics. Nevertheless, the issues such as availability, cost, and digital gap among many others present huge obstacles to the mass adoption. This essay provides a very thorough review of the existing level of virtual reality and augmented reality in rehabilitation and examines the many potential gains, drawbacks, and future directions from a different perspective.

PMID:38974699 | PMC:PMC11226757 | DOI:10.11604/pamj.2024.47.157.42956