REVIEW article
Front. Digit. Health
Sec. Human Factors and Digital Health
Volume 7 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fdgth.2025.1561364
This article is part of the Research TopicDesigning for Engagement in Digital Health for Chronic and Long-Term CareView all 10 articles
How to evaluate User Experience in Digital Health? A Scoping Review of questionnaires in Virtual Reality Applications
Provisionally accepted
- 1Department of Theoretical and Applied Sciences, University of eCampus, Novedrate, Italy
- 2Older People Rehabilitation and Cerebrovascular Medicine Research Laboratory, IRCCS Istituto Auxologico Italiano, Milan, Italy
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The exponential growth and integration of virtual reality technology in clinical environments necessitates a comprehensive user experience evaluation. This assessment is critical for clinical populations and geriatric cohorts presenting peculiar needs and expectations. Despite the longstanding conceptual framework of user experience, a consensus regarding its definition and optimal evaluation methodologies remains elusive, especially within healthcare contexts. This systematic scoping review examines state-of-the-art questionnaire-based instruments for assessing user experience in healthcare virtual reality applications, synthesizing current evaluation approaches and identifying key user experience dimensions. Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses for Scoping Review guidelines, we analyzed articles employing questionnaires to evaluate user experience in virtual reality-based health applications for adults. Following a meticulous screening process of 325 papers across PubMed, Web of Science, and Embase databases, 17 studies met our inclusion criteria. Studies predominantly used multiple and diverse questionnaires exploring several dimensions. Eight key user experience dimensions emerged: usability and functionality, aesthetics of design, engagement, emotional state, presence, realism of environments, side effects, and motivation and intention of use.. Current evaluation lacks standardization and theoretical consistency. We propose a comprehensive eight-domain framework and recommend integrating multidisciplinary expertise, implementing longitudinal evaluation approaches, and developing psychometrically validated instruments. These findings provide essential guidance for improving patient outcomes and healthcare delivery efficacy through optimized virtual reality-based implementation.
Keywords: User Experience, virtual reality, Aging, Health, questionnaire
Received: 15 Jan 2025; Accepted: 25 Aug 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Bruni, Mancuso and Pedroli. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Elisa Pedroli, Department of Theoretical and Applied Sciences, University of eCampus, Novedrate, Italy
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