Augmented Reality for Chronic Non-Specific Low Back Pain: Psychoeducational Intervention Design - A Scoping Review

Accepted poster contribution at 37th Annual Conference of the European Health Psychology Society (Bremen, Germany, 2023). Background: Psychoeducation as a conventional intervention can positively influence the components of pain chronification, i.e., of low back pain, but shows insufficient results. With respect to digital transformation in healthcare, interventions in virtual reality are discussed to achieve superior but short effects in treatment. Aims: Thus, the aim of the current study was to show the state of research on the treatment of chronic non-specific low back pain (CNLBP) by means of psychoeducation using augmented reality (AR), as area between reality and virtuality. Methods: Following PRISMA guidelines, we conducted evidence synthesis through a scoping review. Data research using the databases (Pubmed, Pubpsych, LIVIVO ZB MED) was performed in June 2023. For data evaluation we used qualitative content analysis. Included were (1) conventional, (2) VR or AR-based treatments, and (3) combination of conventional therapies with AR or VR. Results: Eleven of 4,293 publications were included. One publication deals with the treatment of chronic pain with virtual reality, 2 publications with the treatment of chronic back pain with virtual reality, 2 publications with the psychological variables of chronic low back pain (CLBP) treatment and 6 publications with the treatment of CLBP and virtual reality. Three main categories were identified: (1) intervention design of psychoeducation, (2) psychological factors of intervention design and (3) outcome measures of psychoeducational interventions for CLBP. The extracted data were discussed incorporating a technology acceptance theory to infer interventions from a health psychology perspective. Conclusion: There is a lack of evidence for AR studies and empirical studies are needed.