Digital play and rehabilitation for children and adolescents in hospitals, outpatient departments and rehabilitation centres: A scoping review.
Lærke Winther, Camilla Milther, Sanne Miri Schroll and 5 others
PMID 40509926WHAT IT FOUND
Digital play is widely used in pediatric rehabilitation, mostly for neurological conditions, but evidence for its effectiveness is weak.
Most studies were small, feasibility trials with unvalidated outcomes. The field lacks rigorous data proving these interventions improve function.
Key findings
01The review included 90 studies, with approximately one-third being randomized controlled trials, though many were feasibility or pilot trials.
02Participants were predominantly children with neurological diseases, accounting for 76% of the diagnoses, with cerebral palsy being the most common.
03Of the 180 different outcome measures identified across the studies, 27% were unvalidated methods.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
The review excluded case reports and studies with fewer than five participants, which may omit early data on new technologies. Study quality was generally low, with small samples, non-randomized designs, and a high proportion of feasibility trials. Outcome measures were highly heterogeneous, and 27% were unvalidated, making it difficult to compare results across studies. Motivation was often assumed rather than measured, with few studies using validated tools to assess engagement. The field is rapidly evolving, so the review may not reflect the most current technologies or definitions of digital play.
Declared interests
The review was supported by the Research Fund of Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen University Hospital, and the Novo Nordisk Foundation. The funding partners did not engage in the design, conduction, or presentation of the review. The authors declared no other funding or potential conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the widespread use of digital play as evidence of clinical effectiveness. The review highlights a lack of rigorous data, with most studies being small feasibility trials using unvalidated outcomes, so these interventions should not be assumed to improve function without further high-quality evidence.