Increasing Movement with a VRA Video Game Program at a Rehabilitation Center

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this quality improvement project was to evaluate the NeuroRestorative Nevada rehabilitation center staff members’ perceived effectiveness of a virtual reality activity (VRA) video game program for increased movement opportunities for patients, including post-stroke. Background: Approximately 800,000 adults in the United States suffer a stroke each year. Nearly half of stroke patients suffer from motor functioning problems, but only one out of three patients receive outpatient rehabilitation services. Patients are being forced to consider alternative available therapy options that will provide motor improvements. Virtual reality activity video game therapy is a novel cost-efficient treatment shown to improve motor rehabilitation and increase patient satisfaction. Though virtual reality activity video game therapy may not be a first-line treatment option, it can be a viable option for patients that cannot access traditional therapy. Methods: This quality improvement project evaluated the staff members’ perceived effectiveness by providing a virtual information meeting to the staff members, followed by participants completing the online post-meeting survey after one-week of engaging with the video game console. The project’s participants included ten staff members that voluntarily choose to attend the information meeting and complete the post-meeting survey. Results: Four participants completed the online post-meeting survey. One out of the four participants answered “Yes” to using the video game system during the one-week trial. The participants chose either “4 – Agree” or “5 – Strongly Agree” responses, with one “3 – Neutral” response, to the six Likert-scale survey questions that the video game console was easy to use, safe for patients with motor impairments, enjoyable to use, affordable and can be used in different settings, can increase patient movement, and would be utilized in the future. Conclusions: All participants agreed that a virtual reality activity video game program could be an effective, safe, and accessible option for patients to increase movement and mobility opportunities and unanimously stated that they would use the program in the future. NeuroRestorative Nevada can now decide if they want to proceed further with implementing a structured program to increase movement opportunities for their patients.