Rehabilitation effects of game therapy in people living with dementia: A systematic review and meta‐analysis

Abstract Background As a devastating neurodegenerative disease, Alzheimer's disease (AD) imposes a considerable direct and indirect financial burden. However, effective drug treatment options are limited. In recent years, game therapy has become a research hotspot in this field. Aims The purpose of this study was to synthesize the conclusions of existing studies and integrate the data to evaluate the effects of game therapy on people living with dementia (PLWD). Methods We included randomized clinical trials and quasi‐experimental studies which assessed the impacts of game therapy on PLWD and took cognitive function, quality of life, and depression as outcome indicators. Two trained researchers independently screened the studies, evaluated the quality, and extracted the data. Statistical analysis was performed by Review Manager (Revman) 5.3 and STATA16.0 software. Results There were 12 studies involving 877 PLWD included, total. The results of the meta‐analysis demonstrated that the Mini‐Mental State Examination (MMSE) scores of the test group were significantly higher than that of the control group (SMD = 2.69, 95% CI [1.88, 3.51], p < .01), and the Cornell Scale for Depression in Dementia scores of the test group were significantly lower than those of the control group (SMD = −4.28, 95% CI [−6.96, −1.60], p < .01); but in terms of quality of life (SMD = 0.17, 95% CI [−0.82, 1.16], p = .74), the difference was not statistically significant. Linking Evidence to Action Game therapy can improve cognitive function and depression in PLWD. The combination of different types of games can improve the different clinical symptoms of PLWD, and different intervention time also have different effects on the outcome, which shows that we can develop unique, systematic, safe, and scientific game intervention programs for PLWD to improve their cognitive function and depression.