JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Exergames are increasingly used among stroke survivors with chronic upper extremity (UE) sequelae, to continue exercising at home, after discharge, and maintain activity level. The use of virtual reality exergames combined with telerehabilitation app (VirTele) may be an interesting alternative to rehabilitate the UE sequelae in chronic stroke survivors while allowing for ongoing monitoring with a clinician.

Objective:

1) To determine the feasibility of using VirTele with chronic stroke survivors at home; 2) To explore the impact of VirTele on UE motor function, quantity and quality of use, quality of life, and motivation, in chronic stroke survivors, compared with conventional therapy (GRASP: Graded Repetitive Arm Supplementary Program).

Methods:

This is a two-arm feasibility clinical trial. Eligible participants were randomly allocated to an experimental group (receiving VirTele for 8 weeks) or a control group (receiving conventional therapy for 8 weeks). Feasibility measurements included the number and active time spent on exergame sessions, frequency and time spent by the clinician during videoconferencing sessions, satisfaction with the technology, and resource utilization (equipment, technical support). Outcome measurements included the Fugl-Meyer Assessment-Upper Extremity (FMA-UE), Motor Activity log-30 (MAL), Stroke Impact Scale-16 (SIS), and Treatment Self-Regulation Questionnaire-15 (TSRQ) and were administered to both groups at four-time points: T1: before starting the intervention; T2: post-intervention; T3: one-month post-intervention and T4: two-months post-intervention.

Results:

A total of 11 stroke survivors were randomized and allocated to an experimental or a control group. At the COVID-19 onset, participants pursued the allocated treatment for 3-months instead of 8 weeks. VirTele intervention dose was captured in term of time spent on exergames (mean-8 weeks: 16.6 hours; SD 3.0 and mean-third month: 9.3 hours; SD 7.1), frequency of use of exergames (total-mean: 62,5; range: 49-84 sessions), and total number of successful repetitions (mean-8weeks: 13 683; SD 2367 and mean-third month:12035,5; SD 9508,46) and frequency of video-conference- sessions (total mean: 6,6 , range: 3-11 sessions). The technical issues included loss of passwords, Internet issues, updates of the system, and problems with the avatar. Overall, most stroke survivors found the technology easy to use and quite useful, except for one participant. For the FMA-UE and MAL, both groups exhibited an improvement in more than 50% of the participants, maintained over time (from T3 to T4). Regarding the SIS scores, the control group reported improvement in activities of daily life (60% (3/5)), hand function (100% (5/5)), and mobility (40% (2/5)), while the experimental group reported varied and non-conclusive results (from T1 to T4). For the TSRQ, 75% (3/4) of the experimental group demonstrated an increase in the autonomous motivation score (from T1 to T2), while in the control group this improvement was shown in only one participant.

Conclusions:

VirTele intervention constitutes another therapeutic alternative, in addition to the conventional therapy to deliver an intense personalized rehabilitation program in chronic stroke survivors with UE sequelae.