Navigating illness in a virtual world: the role of immersive technology across chronic care continuum – A scoping review

Immersive technologies offer promising capabilities for chronic disease management, but their implementation and specific applications across the chronic care continuum remain limited. This study examines how immersive technologies are being utilized across various chronic disease contexts through a scoping review. Using a comprehensive mapping of literature published between 1995 and 2024, we identified 2,012 relevant articles from major databases using WHO and CDC-defined chronic disease keywords and finally focused on 127 studies for detailed manual review. Our approach combined text analytics (BERTopic modelling) with manual synthesis. This methodology revealed eight key themes where immersive technologies are being applied: medical procedures, training and education for healthcare professionals, substance use disorder therapy, cognitive rehabilitation, physical rehabilitation, exergaming and biofeedback, navigation and spatial therapy, and pain, stress, and anxiety management. These themes reflect the growing use of immersive technologies to support diverse activities in chronic care settings. The findings highlight the breadth of immersive technology applications across multiple points in chronic care. Our study introduces a thematic framework for understanding immersive applications in healthcare and identifies research directions and opportunities for future investigation. Future research should explore long-term integration into clinical workflows, as well as inclusivity and adoption across diverse populations.