Due to necessary scheduled maintenance, the JMIR Publications website will be unavailable from Wednesday, July 01, 2020 at 8:00 PM to 10:00 PM EST. We apologize in advance for any inconvenience this may cause you.
Who will be affected?
Readers: No access to all 28 journals. We recommend accessing our articles via PubMed Central
Authors: No access to the submission form or your user account.
Reviewers: No access to your user account. Please download manuscripts you are reviewing for offline reading before Wednesday, July 01, 2020 at 7:00 PM.
Editors: No access to your user account to assign reviewers or make decisions.
Copyeditors: No access to user account. Please download manuscripts you are copyediting before Wednesday, July 01, 2020 at 7:00 PM.
Development and User Experiences of a Novel Virtual Reality Task for Post-stroke Visuospatial Neglect: An Exploratory Case Study
Andrew Danso;
Patti Nijhuis;
Alessandro Ansani;
Martin Hartmann;
Gulnara Minkkinen;
Geoff Luck;
Joshua Silberstein Bamford;
Sarah Faber;
Kat Agres;
Solange Glasser;
Teppo Särkämö;
Rebekah Rousi;
Marc Richard Thompson
ABSTRACT
Background:
Visuospatial Neglect (VSN) affects spatial awareness, leading to functional and motor challenges. This case study explores virtual reality (VR) as a potential complementary tool for VSN rehabilitation, offering a novel environment that intends to support therapy outcomes.
Objective:
Specifically, we aim to explore the initial experiences of patients and physiotherapists engaging with the protocol. VSN occurs in approximately 30% of stroke survivors, often presenting as inattention to one side of space. While conventional therapies rely on repetitive motor tasks, VR has emerged as a promising alternative for targeted and patient-centered rehabilitation. However, evidence on the integration of audio-visual cues in VR for VSN is limited.
Methods:
A preliminary VR task integrating audio-visual cues was co-designed with two physiotherapists. The task was then tested with two VSN patients over 12 sessions. The intervention focused on engaging neglected spatial areas with physiotherapists adapting the task to individual needs and monitor responses.
Results:
Preliminary findings suggest potential benefits in patient experience, with one patient reporting increased confidence in mobility.
Conclusions:
However, outcomes varied, and the results are exploratory. Further research with larger cohorts is needed to confirm the VR task’s utility and refine the intervention.
Citation
Please cite as:
Danso A, Nijhuis P, Ansani A, Hartmann M, Minkkinen G, Luck G, Bamford JS, Faber S, Agres K, Glasser S, Särkämö T, Rousi R, Thompson MR
Development and User Experiences of a Novel Virtual Reality Task for Poststroke Visuospatial Neglect: Exploratory Case Study