JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Stroke is the highest disability-adjusted life-years lost of any disease, and about one-third of them will be aphasia. Computers and intelligent tablets in speech rehabilitation propose innovative and intensive treatments for aphasia patients. However, the mechanical training limits the help to patients.

Objective:

This study aims to provide a framework of an integrated virtual reality (VR) APP to provide speech rehabilitation for aphasia patients.

Methods:

The contents were generated by in-depth literature review and discussion with experienced rehabilitation physicians and occupational therapists. Then we conducted a two-round Delphi process with 15 experts from hospitals and universities to rate the contents using a 5-point Likert scale. The APP was developed by an interdisciplinary team with VR, medical science of rehabilitation, and therapeutic rehabilitation. Pilot usability testing of this novel APP was conducted among five aphasia patients, five healthy volunteers, five medical staff, and two VR experts.

Results:

We designed four modules of speech rehabilitation contents, including oral expression, auditory comprehension, cognition, and comprehensive application. Our VR-based interactive and intelligence APP was developed to provide an alternative option for aphasia patients. Pilot usability testing showed user satisfaction for the APP.

Conclusions:

This study designed and tested a novel VR-based APP for speech rehabilitation specifically adapted to aphasia patients. It will guide other studies to develop a similar program or intelligent system in a clinical setting.