Opportunities for the Implementation of Immersive Virtual Reality in Rehabilitation

Abstract

Virtual reality (VR) technologies are emerging as novel platforms for physical and cognitive interventions, though applications in communication rehabilitation are scarce. Consultation with end-users on implementation of VR in clinical contexts is a vital first step to investigating the feasibility VR in communication rehabilitation. The aim of this study was to explore the views of professionals with expertise in health, rehabilitation, and VR technology, on the populations that might benefit from VR-based rehabilitation, and potential barriers and facilitators to their use of VR. Thematic content analysis of one interdisciplinary focus group and one in-depth interview identified two content themes relating to the use of VR in rehabilitation, and four themes related to the use of VR to maximize its clinical benefit and uptake. Consideration of these results in the development of VR programs in rehabilitation might lead to better acceptance and implementation of VR for improved health and participation outcomes.

“It’s really exciting to think where it could go”: a mixed-method investigation of clinician acceptance, barriers and enablers of virtual reality technology in communication rehabilitation

“…Immersive VR applications have received scarce attention in the literature to date in relation to the management of communication disorders, although their potential usefulness has been noted [35,41,42]. Evidence gained from the impact of immersive VR in public speaking environments on the reduction of anxiety and development of confidence in individuals who stutter suggests that effective, behavioural, and cognitive reactions correspond to those elicited in the real world [40,43].…”

Children's memory of a story experienced with virtual reality versus traditional media technology

“…With the rapid growth of technological advances, such as high-speed computing, high-resolution graphics, and interface devices, immersive virtual reality technology (IVR) has become not only an exciting entertainment technology but one with many practical applications (Araiza-Alba et al, 2020a;Ke & Im, 2013;Wilson et al, 2015) in areas including military or medical training (Bhagat et al, 2016;Jensen & Konradsen, 2018), medical rehabilitation (Bryant et al, 2020), pain distraction (Kipping et al, 2012), neuropsychology assessment and tourism (Loureiro et al, 2019).…”

Utilizing Virtual Reality for Gender‐Affirming Voice Training: Surveying the Attitudes and Perspectives of Potential Consumers

“…To overcome any potential vocal harm, users may need to undertake training in clinical settings to use VR safely prior to engaging with it for home practice. As Bryant et al (2020aBryant et al ( , 2020b note, this suggests that VR cannot replace, but rather should be used as an adjunct alongside traditional therapy. However, for VR to realize its true potential as a tool to promote independent home practice, it would need to be usable, at least in part, without the supervision of a trained speech-language pathologist.…”

“…While these technologies have improved overall practice, they do not create the same safe environment needed for regular practice as enabled by telehealth (Russell & Abrams, 2019). Bryant et al (2020aBryant et al ( , 2020b suggested that such a safe and motivating environment for communication practice might be found in virtual reality (VR). VR provides visual, auditory and haptic input via a headmounted display and controls, excluding other input from the physical environment.…”