Parkes S1
1Coventry University, School of Nursing, Midwifery and Health, Coventry, United Kingdom
Background: The growing accessibility of video games and the ease of their availability has led to interest as to whether they could be used to enhance rehabilitation programmes for patients including those post CVA and TBI.
Rehabilitation requires repetitive activities to help encourage plastic remodelling of the brain. Adherence to activities is key and it is a challenge to maintain enthusiasm during repeated sessions of rehabilitation. Video gaming offers repetition, competitive challenge, active feedback and the achievement of goals. New ways to engage patients in repetitive exercises that maintain their interest and encourage them to achieve goals need to be developed and explored. Video games require players to use their cognitive abilities to progress through the levels and, in addition, some also use player movement and fine motor skills. Video gaming is a logical progression from early, more basic technologies developed specifically for rehabilitation use.
Purpose: To explore if video game playing is an effective method of improving function within a rehabilitation programme of patients with CVA and TBI.
Methods: A systematised literature review was undertaken. Using the PICO framework, quantitative data from randomised controlled trials (RCT) together with qualitative studies identifying effectiveness and experience of the use of video gaming in rehabilitation programmes post CVA and TBI in adult populations were included. A comprehensive literature search was conducted of AMED, CINAHL, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, PsycARTICLES and PEDro to identify appropriate studies. A PRISMA flow diagram was developed. Appropriate CASP and PEDro quality assessment tools were utilised to assess the quality of the papers. Ethical approval was gained.
Results: The search initially identified 78 articles. After exclusion, seven RCT studies were identified and one mixed methods study. All studies considered how video games were applied in a neurological rehabilitative context for patients with CVA and TBI. It was shown that video games are as effective in improving functional skills in patients post CVA and TBI as conventional rehabilitation. The qualitative data suggests that the use of video games enhanced motivation and enjoyment of the rehabilitation process.
Conclusion(s): Video games offer an alternative to conventional rehabilitation for patients with CVA and TBI. It was not possible to identify whether their use is more effective than standard rehabilitation. The identification of patient enjoyment and the cost-effectiveness require further investigation to fully establish the place of video games in rehabilitation programmes.
Implications: This study identifies the cost-effectiveness of video games within rehabilitation. In addition, this study also suggests that the use of video game technology could lead to increased trust and enjoyment within treatment as well as being effective in achieving rehabilitation goals. Gaming technologies will continue to develop, it is suggested that rehabilitation specialists, including physiotherapists, should seek to explore and help develop appropriate games for use in rehabilitation. Furthermore, it would be beneficial to investigate developing technologies such as virtual reality to identify if these are also of benefit to patients undertaking rehabilitation.
Keywords: CVA and TBI, Video Games, Rehabilitation
Funding acknowledgements: This study was conducted as partial fulfilment of a MSc programme - Author: Kathryn Wilson. This programme was self-funded.
Rehabilitation requires repetitive activities to help encourage plastic remodelling of the brain. Adherence to activities is key and it is a challenge to maintain enthusiasm during repeated sessions of rehabilitation. Video gaming offers repetition, competitive challenge, active feedback and the achievement of goals. New ways to engage patients in repetitive exercises that maintain their interest and encourage them to achieve goals need to be developed and explored. Video games require players to use their cognitive abilities to progress through the levels and, in addition, some also use player movement and fine motor skills. Video gaming is a logical progression from early, more basic technologies developed specifically for rehabilitation use.
Purpose: To explore if video game playing is an effective method of improving function within a rehabilitation programme of patients with CVA and TBI.
Methods: A systematised literature review was undertaken. Using the PICO framework, quantitative data from randomised controlled trials (RCT) together with qualitative studies identifying effectiveness and experience of the use of video gaming in rehabilitation programmes post CVA and TBI in adult populations were included. A comprehensive literature search was conducted of AMED, CINAHL, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, PsycARTICLES and PEDro to identify appropriate studies. A PRISMA flow diagram was developed. Appropriate CASP and PEDro quality assessment tools were utilised to assess the quality of the papers. Ethical approval was gained.
Results: The search initially identified 78 articles. After exclusion, seven RCT studies were identified and one mixed methods study. All studies considered how video games were applied in a neurological rehabilitative context for patients with CVA and TBI. It was shown that video games are as effective in improving functional skills in patients post CVA and TBI as conventional rehabilitation. The qualitative data suggests that the use of video games enhanced motivation and enjoyment of the rehabilitation process.
Conclusion(s): Video games offer an alternative to conventional rehabilitation for patients with CVA and TBI. It was not possible to identify whether their use is more effective than standard rehabilitation. The identification of patient enjoyment and the cost-effectiveness require further investigation to fully establish the place of video games in rehabilitation programmes.
Implications: This study identifies the cost-effectiveness of video games within rehabilitation. In addition, this study also suggests that the use of video game technology could lead to increased trust and enjoyment within treatment as well as being effective in achieving rehabilitation goals. Gaming technologies will continue to develop, it is suggested that rehabilitation specialists, including physiotherapists, should seek to explore and help develop appropriate games for use in rehabilitation. Furthermore, it would be beneficial to investigate developing technologies such as virtual reality to identify if these are also of benefit to patients undertaking rehabilitation.
Keywords: CVA and TBI, Video Games, Rehabilitation
Funding acknowledgements: This study was conducted as partial fulfilment of a MSc programme - Author: Kathryn Wilson. This programme was self-funded.
Topic: Neurology: stroke; Neurology; Disability & rehabilitation
Ethics approval required: Yes
Institution: Coventry University
Ethics committee: Coventry University Ethics Committee
Ethics number: P66985
All authors, affiliations and abstracts have been published as submitted.
