Home-based Virtual Reality Training After Stroke
Home-based Virtual Reality Training After Stroke
Virtual reality (VR) training (VRT) uses computer software to track a user's movements and
 allow them to interact with a game presented on a TV. It is fun and engaging and may
 encourage the user to do more exercise. VRT is increasingly being used for rehabilitation
 after stroke. Patients often require ongoing therapy post-discharge from inpatient
 rehabilitation. Outpatient therapy may be unavailable due to waiting lists, transportation
 issues, distance etc.; therefore, home-based VRT may be the answer. Our objectives are to
 determine: 1) the feasibility of home-based VRT for stroke patients after discharge from
 hospital-based rehabilitation, and 2) the feasibility of a battery of outcome measures. Forty
 stroke rehabilitation patients will be recruited over 18 months and randomize them to
 experimental or control groups. VRT participants will be introduced to VRT at the hospital
 and a VRT system will be set up in their homes shortly after discharge. Control participants
 will be provided with games and apps on an iPad focusing on cognition and fine motor skills.
 Participants will be instructed to perform 30 minutes of VRT 5 days a week for 6 weeks.
 Training will be monitored remotely. Both groups will receive weekly phone calls to review
 their home activity and answer questions. Measurements will be made of standing balance and
 general function before and after training, and feasibility (compliance, enjoyment, safety).
Stroke causes approximately 15 300 hospital admissions per year in Ontario and 50% of
 individuals who have had a stroke are left with moderate to severe impairment. Because of the
 severity of their condition, these individuals often cannot stand and have poor sitting and
 standing balance. Most patients who are discharged from inpatient stroke rehabilitation are
 8-10 weeks post-stroke and have not completely recovered. Their brains are still in a period
 of enhanced neuroplasticity, during which great functional change can be made; Therapy
 outcomes are dose-dependent; intensive, high-repetition, task-oriented and task-specific
 therapies are most effective. Therefore, for the greatest recovery possible, these patients
 require ongoing therapy. Most are offered this on an outpatient basis. However, for many
 reasons (transportation difficulties, distance from downtown, weather etc.), not all eligible
 patients are able to attend outpatient therapy. Also, there is a waiting list and a limited
 number of outpatient therapy sessions are offered to each patient.

 Virtual reality training (VRT) uses computer software to track the user's movements and allow
 him or her to interact with a game or activity presented on a TV screen. It is convenient,
 timely, and enjoyable, and may be done for an unlimited period post-stroke. VRT has been
 shown to benefit upper extremity function, standing balance, gait and overall function.
 Home-based VRT offers a promising addition or alternative to existing rehabilitation programs
 and home exercise programs that could make a significant difference in the lives of stroke
 survivors. A few pilot studies have investigated the use of home-based VRT for standing
 balance and upper extremity recovery after stroke and shown the feasibility of these systems
 for ongoing rehabilitation in the home. The investigators wish to expand on these studies by
 using a new VR system, made by Jintronix Inc. (Montreal, QC). This system was initially
 developed for stroke rehabilitation and has also been used extensively with healthy and frail
 elderly individuals. The Jintronix system is marketed for institutional and home use and has
 a simple-to-use interface but its home use has not yet been fully evaluated. The games are
 designed to incorporate motor learning principles such as multiple forms of feedback and
 task-specific practice that can be progressed to maintain an appropriate level of challenge.
 The purpose of this study is to investigate the feasibility, acceptance and safety of this
 new, simple-to-use VRT system used in the home, combined with substantial remote support for
 the user.

 The primary objectives assessed the feasibility of using VRT in the home by patients
 post-stroke, using quantitative and qualitative methods. Specific objectives were:

 1. To estimate the recruitment rate of participants into the study;

 2. To assess the ability and compliance of the participants with respect to the components
 of the research protocol (ability to learn VRT through the training program; ability to
 comply with the exercise protocol; participant retention);

 3. To determine the safety of home-based VRT (presence of minor and major adverse events);

 4. To assess the ability of stroke survivors and their study partners to use VRT technology
 in the home (i.e. technical difficulties, difficulty learning the games);

 5. To assess the acceptability of the VRT intervention (enjoyment; perceived efficacy)

 6. To estimate the cost for a future definitive randomised control trial (RCT) on in-home
 VRT.

 The secondary objectives assessed the feasibility of the outcome measures, using quantitative
 and qualitative methods. Specific objectives were:

 1. To assess the feasibility and acceptance of a battery of outcome measures, including
 physical assessments, questionnaires, an interview and a log book;

 2. To assess the potential that home-based VRT might maintain or improve physical outcomes
 (standing balance, gait, general function) and community integration after discharge
 from hospital-based stroke rehabilitation, compared to those who only participate in
 their regular activities of daily living.

 3. To determine the sample size required for a future definitive RCT on in-home VRT.

 Procedures Participants in both the experimental and control groups (and their caregivers for
 those in the experimental group only) attend a total of 4 sessions at Élisabeth Bruyère
 Hospital. The first three sessions occur in the week or two before discharge from inpatient
 or outpatient rehabilitation. At sessions 1 and 2, each lasting approximately 60 minutes,
 participants and their study partners in the experimental group are trained on how to use the
 VRT system and play the games. They are also instructed what to do if something went wrong
 (for example, if the participant falls or the equipment does not work). Participants are
 given a simple manual on VRT. Participants in the control group also attend two training
 sessions, each lasting approximately 45 minutes, on how to use the tablet and use the apps.
 Outcome measures are performed at sessions 3 (before discharge) and 4 (after 6 weeks of VRT);
 each session takes approximately 1½ hours.

 After discharge from inpatient or outpatient rehabilitation, the research physical therapist
 (PT) installs the VRT system into the participant's home and reviews the games, safety
 considerations and follow-up procedures with the participant and their study partner. The
 supervising caregiver must be in the home of the participant while he or she is doing VRT.
 The PT monitors the game and parameter selections along with time spent on VRT at least once
 a week using the remote access feature of the VRT system, and modifies the games if
 necessary.

 Participants in both groups are instructed to perform their exercise plan 5 times a week for
 6 weeks for 30 minutes at each session. This amount of additional training (15 hours) has
 been shown to produce a significant improvement in activities of daily living post-stroke.
 All participants are contacted by telephone twice a week for the first week and at least once
 a week for the following 5 weeks to offer encouragement, suggest modifications to the games
 and identify any safety issues or technical problems. Participants are also invited to
 contact the research PT as needed. Participants in both groups are encouraged to do as many
 activities of daily living (ADLs) and instrumental ADLs (IADLs) as they wish, including
 walking, participation in exercise groups and therapy. They are not prevented from undergoing
 further rehabilitation while enrolled in the feasibility study.
Inclusion Criteria:

 1. have had a stroke (ischemic or hemorrhagic) resulting in physical impairment;

 2. have enough preserved cognitive ability to learn VRT

 3. are receiving inpatient or outpatient stroke rehabilitation services;

 4. are able to stand independently for at least 2 minutes

 5. have a study partner who could attend 2 training sessions with the participant and was
 able to be in the home with the participant while doing VRT;

 6. can read, speak and understand English;

 7. live within 50 km of Élisabeth Bruyère Hospital;

 8. are able and willing to attend 4 appointments at Élisabeth Bruyère Hospital (2 for
 assessment; 2 for training);

 9. will not be travelling away from home for more than 2 days a week for the duration of
 the study;

 10. have enough space in their home to do VRT safely.

 Exclusion Criteria:

 1. have an unstable medical condition, seizures or vertigo,

 2. are unable to perform mild to moderate exercise safely.