Functional Living Skills: A Non-Immersive Virtual Reality Training for Individuals with Major Neurocognitive Disorders

Abstract

The loss of functional living skills (FLS) is an essential feature of major neurocognitive disorders (M-NCD); virtual reality training (VRT) offers many possibilities for improving FLS in people with M-NCD. The aim of our study was to verify the effectiveness of a non-immersive VRT on FLS for patients with M-NCD. VRT was carried out for 10 to 20 sessions, by means of four 3D apps developed in our institute and installed on a large touch screen. The experimental group (EG) and the control group (CG) included 24 and 18 patients with M-NCD, respectively. They were administered the in vivo test (in specific hospital places reproducing the natural environments) at T1 (pre-training) and T3 (post-training); at T2, only EG was administered VRT. Statistically significant differences between EG and CG in all the in vivo tests were found in the number of correct responses; during VRT, the number of correct responses increased, while the execution times and the number of clues decreased. The improvement in the in vivo tests appeared to be related to the specific VRT applied. The satisfaction of participants with the VRT was moderate to high.

Application of virtual reality for peritoneal dialysis exchange learning in patients with end-stage renal disease and cognitive impairment

“…In terms of patient satisfaction, the feedback from patients on their experience of VR training was consistent with that collected in other studies on the use of non-immersive VR for the learning of functional living skills (Panerai et al 2021 ). Perception of satisfaction is defined as one of the effective outcomes of learning experience in education and training (Sharda et al 2004 ).…”

“…This shows that VR training is an effective method of procedural learning for use as an adjunct to conventional PD exchange education, particularly for ERSD patients with cognitive deficits. The non-immersive VR applied in this study provided a type of interactive experience, based on “learning-by-doing,” the efficacy of which is supported in the findings of previous studies (Panerai et al 2021 ; Dalgarno and Lee 2010 ). Training within a virtual environment that explicitly displays the PD exchange process allows patients to see themselves completing the task, which in turn better enables them to problem solve their way out of difficulties and gradually improve their method.…”

“…VR can be viewed as an advanced computer-based technology that allows users to interact and immerse within a multi-sensory three-dimensional simulated environment and receive augmented feedback on performance (Rizzo et al 1997 ; Costa et al 2000 ). Interaction and immersion is a key characteristic of any VR system, offering the user total engagement in an activity’s characteristic features, including human interaction, tools and environment, and goal-directed actions and reactions that demand responses from multiple cognitive functions (Joseph et al 2012 ; Panerai et al 2019 , 2021 ). Being actively engaged in the activity means that the user’s awareness and attention are enhanced.…”

The More, the Better? Improving VR Firefighting Training System with Realistic Firefighter Tools as Controllers

“…The study results indicated that the hybrid group had generally higher perceived presence and lower cognitive load than the control and real tool groups. These results (1) demonstrate that increasing realism by having more realistic devices does not always lead to greater user experience and (2) highlight the strategic use of real tools in combination with standard VR controllers to optimize user experience and achieve training goals.…”

“…Virtual reality (VR) has gained much attention as a technology that is suitable for training services in many domains because it provides trainees with realistic experiences and methods for coping with various situations [1][2][3][4][5][6]. VR has not only significantly lowered cost and space requirements compared to a real training environment but has also allowed trainees to conduct repetitive training at any time without material and environmental restrictions, further increasing its impact, educational value, and a trainee's self-efficacy.…”