Virtual reality exergaming as adjunctive therapy in a sub-acute stroke rehabilitation setting: facilitators and barriers

Abstract

Purpose: To identify the facilitators and barriers perceived by clinicians to using an Exergaming Room as adjunct to conventional therapy.

Design: Phenomenological qualitative study using an interpretive description methodology.

Subjects: Ten clinicians (four physical therapists, six occupational therapists) from the Stroke Program at the Jewish Rehabilitation Hospital (nine female, one male, age range 25–50 years old) who referred clients to the Exergaming Room.

Methods: Ten to twenty minute semi-structured interviews were conducted with each clinician. Convenience sampling was used. A thematic analysis was performed on the data collected by grouping all the open codes into facilitators and barriers, and then categorized into levels, themes and subthemes.

Results: Facilitators and barriers were divided into three levels: organizational, individual and technological. Major facilitators at the organizational level were: institutional support; at the individual level: personal experience of referring clinician, presence of an expert clinician, and relevance of the Exergaming Room for stroke clients; and at the technological level: perceived ease of use of the exergames and possibility of providing additional therapy. Key barriers to successful implementation of the Exergaming Room at the organizational level were: scheduling difficulties and lack of staffing; at the individual level: client functional limitations; at the technological level: low precision in motion capture of the exergame systems.

Conclusions: Multiple factors affect the implementation of new technology in rehabilitation settings. In order to successfully integrate exergame systems into practice, institutions are encouraged to take the identified factors (facilitators and barriers) into account.

Implications for Rehabilitation

• Clinicians who have referred individuals with stroke to an “exergames” room over a 1-year period at a rehabilitation hospital have found the service to be highly relevant to their clients.

• The presence of an expert clinician, who evaluates the clients and builds an exergames activity program, was seen as an important facilitator by referring clinicians in the use of this service.

• An ideal Exergames Room should offer a wide variety of activities, including some that focus on motor, cognitive and/or communications abilities.

Keywords:

• Stroke
• rehabilitation
• exergames
• serious games
• qualitative methodology

Disclosure statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest.