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Poster

Session: Using virtual reality for to improve ADL rehabilitation: A protocol for a feasibility study

Using virtual reality to improve ADL rehabilitation: A protocol for a feasibility study

Tuesday, October 31, 2023

4:05 PM – 4:11 PM

Location: VIRTUAL

Presenting Author(s)

jasleen Grewal, OT Reg.

PhD Candidate
University of British Columbia
Surrey, British Columbia, Canada

Non-presenting Author(s)

JE

Janice J. Eng, PhD

University Killam Professor
University of British Columbia
Vancouver, British Columbia, United States
BS

Brodie Sakakibara, PhD

Assistant Professor
The University of British Columbia
Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada
Julia Schmidt, PhD, OT

Associate Faculty
University of British Columbia
Vancouver, British Columbia, United States

Research Objectives: To evaluate the feasibility of using virtual reality (VR) after traumatic brain injury (TBI) to target activities of daily living (ADL) and to understand the barriers and facilitators of administering and receiving the VR intervention to practice ADLs.

Design: A pre and post feasibility study using the RE-AIM framework will be conducted with an embedded qualitative study using a constructivist perspective.

Setting: The VR-intervention will be delivered at GF Strong Rehabilitation Centre, a rehabilitation centre for people with TBI.

Participants: For the feasibility study, convenience sampling will be used to recruit 15 individuals with moderate to severe TBI in their acute recovery period ( < 6 months post-TBI) in the rehabilitation or community setting. For the qualitative study, we will purposively recruit 10 participants with TBI and 5 clinicians who participated in the feasibility study.

Interventions: Participants will use the Saebo-VR to practice ADL tasks for four 30-minute sessions for 3-weeks (total 12 sessions). With assistance from a clinician, participants will engage in a meal preparation task while gross movements of one upper limb are tracked by the Saebo-VR. For the qualitative study, semi-structured interviews will be conducted after the 3-week intervention.

Main Outcome Measures: The primary outcome measure is the Nottingham Extended ADL scale which assesses independence in daily activities. For the qualitative study, individuals with TBI and clinicians will provide insight into the barriers and facilitators of using the VR platform.

Results: This study is expected to begin in December 2023. We predict that VR will be feasible to use with the TBI population to practice ADLs and there will be improvements in the outcome measures post-intervention. We predict individuals with TBI will find the VR intervention engaging and motivating and clinicians will prefer to use the VR intervention as an addition to usual therapy.

Conclusions: This study may provide evidence for novel approaches in therapy that enable clients to engage in meaningful occupations after TBI, reducing associated psychological distress, caregiver burden and the immense cost of TBI to society.

Author(s) Disclosures: N/A

Learning Objectives:

Upon completion, participants will be able to understand the study protocol to evaluate the feasibility of using virtual reality (VR) after traumatic brain injury to target activities of daily living.
Upon completion, participants will be able to understand the study protocol to understand the barriers and facilitators of administering and receiving the VR intervention to practice ADLs.
Upon completion, participants will be able to understand the evidence for novel approaches in therapy that enable clients to engage in meaningful occupations after TBI.