Immersive Virtual Reality in Breast Cancer Care: A Scoping Review of Applications, Outcomes, and Implementation Barriers

Background: Virtual reality (VR) has emerged as a promising digital health intervention in oncology, particularly for symptom management and rehabilitation. While evidence supports its efficacy, its translation into routine breast cancer care remains limited. Existing reviews have primarily focused on clinical effectiveness, with a lack of systematic evaluation of implementation barriers. Objective: This scoping review aims to map the characteristics of VR interventions in breast cancer care (frequency, duration, clinical outcomes, and adverse effects) and to systematically identify and classify the barriers to their implementation using the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR 2.0). Methods: This review will follow the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) methodology and the PRISMA-ScR guidelines. Systematic searches will be conducted in PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, PsycINFO, CINAHL, and IEEE. Eligible studies will include original research on immersive VR in breast cancer patients. Barriers will be extracted and mapped to the CFIR 2.0 framework. Eligibility Criteria: · Population: Adult or pediatric patients with breast cancer. · Concept: Immersive VR interventions (via head-mounted displays), reporting clinical outcomes, feasibility, or implementation barriers. · Context: Any clinical setting (chemotherapy, surgery, palliative care, home-based). · Exclusion: Non-immersive VR (e.g., desktop or 2D), non-English publications, reviews, editorials, and conference abstracts.