Technological resources for cognitive rehabilitation after stroke in inpatient units: a scoping review

Abstract

Stroke is one of the leading causes of cognitive impairment and functional disability worldwide, highlighting the importance of effective rehabilitation strategies during hospitalization. Technological resources have proven to be promising tools for supporting cognitive rehabilitation; however, evidence regarding their use in acute and subacute hospital settings remains fragmented. Thus, the aim of this review was to identify and summarize the technological resources - such as virtual reality, mobile applications, exergames, and assistive robotics - currently used in cognitive rehabilitation and its various domains among stroke survivors during the acute and subacute phases in hospital settings. A scoping review that followed the Joanna Briggs and the PRISMA-ScR checklist. The search was conducted in the following databases: PubMed, CINAHL, Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection, SportDiskus, Scopus, SciELO, MedicLatina, and Cochrane. The search was conducted until July 31, 2025, with no time restrictions. The 31 articles included explored a variety of technologies used in the cognitive rehabilitation of people hospitalized during the acute and subacute phases after stroke. The main technologies identified were virtual reality ( n = 19), mobile phone applications ( n = 4), exergames ( n = 5), and assisted robotics ( n = 3). The central objective of the technologies used to improve cognitive recovery was attention (divided, selective, visual, and spatial) ( n = 29), memory (working/motor) ( n = 19), executive functions (such as planning, decision-making, and problem-solving) ( n = 17), processing speed ( n = 17), mental representation of actions ( n = 10), and visual and spatial perception ( n = 18). The use of technological tools in cognitive rehabilitation programs for stroke patients, in an inpatient hospital setting, has shown potential to promote cognitive recovery, particularly in the areas of attention, memory, executive functions, and visuospatial perception. This scoping review has shown that technologies such as virtual reality, exergames, mobile applications, and assistive robotics have been progressively incorporated into clinical practice during the acute and subacute phases of stroke. However, the literature still has significant gaps, namely the small sample sizes of the studies, the heterogeneity of the interventions and outcomes assessed, as well as the scarcity of research focused exclusively on cognitive rehabilitation in a hospital setting. Thus, more robust studies are needed to strengthen the evidence regarding clinical efficacy, practical applicability, and the patient’s experience during hospitalization.

The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Journal of NeuroEngineering and Rehabilitation, 2026 · DOI ↗