Patients’ and Health Professionals’ Experiences of Using Virtual Reality Technology for Upper Limb Training after Stroke: A Qualitative Substudy

Abstract

Background In recent years, virtual reality (VR) therapy systems for upper limb training after stroke have been increasingly used in clinical practice. Therapy systems employing VR technology can enhance the intensity of training and can also boost patients' motivation by adding a playful element to therapy. However, reports on user experiences are still scarce. Methods A qualitative investigation of patients' and therapists' perspectives on VR upper limb training. Semistructured face-to-face interviews were conducted with six patients in the final week of the VR intervention. Therapists participated in two focus group interviews after the completion of the intervention. The interviews were analyzed from a phenomenological perspective emphasizing the participants' perceptions and interpretations. Results Five key themes were identified from the patients' perspectives: (i) motivational factors, (ii) engagement, (iii) perceived improvements, (iv) individualization, and (v) device malfunction. The health professionals described the same themes as the patients but less positively, emphasizing negative technical challenges. Conclusion Patients and therapists mainly valued the intensive and motivational character of VR training. The playful nature of the training appeared to have a significant influence on the patients' moods and engagement and seemed to promote a “gung-ho” spirit, so they felt that they could perform more repetitions.

Experiences of treadmill walking with non-immersive virtual reality after stroke or acquired brain injury – A qualitative study

“…The most important finding of the study might be that walking with VR was an enjoyable experience. Similar to previous research [24] participants described the experience as entertaining, exciting, challenging, and enjoyable. Although, experiences of training to walk with VR are scarcely investigated, a recent study [25] showed that patients preferred walking with, rather than without VR.…”

“…In contrast to previous research [17, 24, 28] the VR system in this study did not include a dimension of competitiveness as it was not designed to be a game. However, in addition to the continuous visual and auditory feedback given during walking, participants could compete with themselves in terms of walking speed and endurance, which was also emphasized by some participants.…”

“…Previous research [38] showed that being able to measure one’s progress or relapse in a rehabilitation program are important to increase the participants motivation to do more. This aspect, together with the knowledge of how clear goals and positive reinforcement can contribute to a feeling of flow should be taken into account when creating a VR walking system for stroke rehabilitation [24].…”

Exploring perspectives from stroke survivors, carers and clinicians on virtual reality as a precursor to using telerehabilitation for spatial neglect post-stroke

“…This could be considered a limitation since one large focus group with all six clinicians may have facilitated deeper exploration of ideas and opinions with others (Folch-Lyon & Trost, 1981). Despite our relatively small sample size (albeit in line with sample sizes of similar studies; Lane et al, 2019;Ogourtsova et al, 2019;Pallesen et al, 2018;Niraji, Wright & Powell, 2018), we were able to collect the personal perspectives of various end-users (stroke survivors with and without spatial neglect, carers of different ages and multidisciplinary stroke clinicians).…”

Facial Emotion Recognition: Virtual Reality Program for Facial Emotion Recognition—A Trial Program Targeted at Individuals With Schizophrenia

“…Currently, the impact of virtual environments is relevant as an initial approach for an individual’s actual exposure in the real-life context. It is an opportunity to train individuals in a secure environment, with a corrective factor performed according to the options chosen by the therapist: The intensity of emotions and the type of environment and avatars can be manipulated (Pallesen, Andersen, Hansen, Lundquist, & Brunner, 2018). The combination of these three variables will enable the therapist to customize a wide range of difficulty levels involved in rehabilitation.…”