Mapping immersive technologies in pediatric rehabilitation: a multi-database bibliometric analysis
TL;DR
Virtual reality and game-based approaches dominated the field and were frequently associated with cerebral palsy and motor rehabilitation, whereas augmented and mixed reality were less represented and decentralized delivery remains a minority framing within the broader literature.
Abstract
Immersive technologies, including virtual, augmented, mixed, and extended reality, are increasingly investigated in pediatric rehabilitation, yet the literature remains dispersed across disciplines, technologies, clinical targets, and delivery settings. This study aimed to map publication and citation performance and the conceptual, intellectual, and social structure of immersive-technology research in pediatric rehabilitation across all settings from 2015 to 2024 and, as a secondary translational perspective, to examine the prominence of home-, remote-, and telerehabilitation-related terminology. Records were retrieved from Scopus, Web of Science, PubMed, and the Lens scholarly search platform and analyzed using bibliometric performance indicators and science-mapping techniques. A total of 388 publications were included. Publication output increased overall, with the United States of America, Italy, and China as the most productive countries. Virtual reality and game-based approaches dominated the field and were frequently associated with cerebral palsy and motor rehabilitation, whereas augmented and mixed reality were less represented. Multiple correspondence analysis explained 39.3% of total inertia across the first two dimensions and distinguished motor- and therapy-oriented, gamified, remote, cognitive, developmental, and emerging-technology orientations within the conceptual structure. Thematic evolution indicated diversification toward cognitive, gamified, and artificial-intelligence-linked applications, although these newer themes remained low in frequency. Author bibliographic-coupling and collaboration analyses identified distinct research communities, including domestically concentrated and internationally diverse groups. Home-, remote-, and telerehabilitation-related terminology appeared in 41 publications (10.6%), indicating that decentralized delivery remains a minority framing within the broader literature. Immersive-technology research in pediatric rehabilitation is expanding and diversifying, but bibliometric prominence should not be interpreted as evidence of clinical effectiveness. Further research should prioritize rigorous clinical evaluation, consistent reporting, standardized outcomes, and setting-specific implementation, including feasibility, usability, safety, and equity in home and community contexts.