Knowledge, practices, and acceptance of physiotherapists regarding the use of immersive virtual reality in clinical practice: a cross-sectional online survey

To assess French- and Dutch-speaking physiotherapists’ knowledge, practices, and acceptance of immersive virtual reality (VR) in clinical settings.
A cross-sectional online survey (NCT06252363) was conducted from February to July 2024, targeting French- and Dutch-speaking physiotherapists via non-probability sampling methods. Data were analyzed descriptively.
A total of 155 physiotherapists from eight countries participated, mostly from Belgium. Most (75.5%) had never used immersive VR, while 12.25% were current users and 12.25% past users. Physiotherapists generally demonstrated satisfactory knowledge of immersive VR. Key facilitators and barriers to usage, reasons for discontinuation, and factors contributing to nonuse were identified. Half of the never-users showed interest in future use, a minority of past users planned to resume, and nearly all current users intended to continue. Attitudes toward immersive VR were mostly positive, though concerns about cost and value for money were noted. Immersive VR was generally perceived as clinically useful and not overly complex. Social influence did not appear to be a key factor in its adoption.
These findings provide insights into the perspectives of French- and Dutch-speaking physiotherapists regarding the use of immersive VR in clinical settings and may help inform the development of implementation strategies targeting physiotherapists.
Although immersive virtual reality is increasingly being studied in physiotherapy and shows promising results across various conditions, only a small proportion of physiotherapists incorporate it in their clinical practice.
Understanding physiotherapists’ perspectives and the factors influencing their adoption of immersive virtual reality is essential for its successful implementation into clinical practice.
The majority of respondents demonstrated satisfactory general knowledge of immersive virtual reality and reported a favorable level of acceptance, although intention to use varied across user subgroups and social influence appeared to exert little impact on its adoption.
Key facilitators and barriers to its use, reasons for discontinuation, and factors contributing to nonuse were also identified.
The findings of this study could help inform the design of dissemination and integration strategies targeting physiotherapists.