Department of Psychology, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy.
Istituti Clinici Scientifici Maugeri IRCCS, Neurophysiopathology Unit of Montescano Institute, Montescano, Italy.
PLoS One. 2023 Mar 10;18(3):e0282925. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0282925. eCollection 2023.
Robot-assisted therapy (RAT) and virtual reality (VR)-based neuromotor rehabilitation have shown promising evidence in terms of patient's neuromotor recovery, so far. However, still little is known on the perceived experience of use of robotic and VR devices and the related psychosocial impact. The present study outlines a study protocol aiming to investigate the biopsychosocial effects and the experience of use of robotic and non-immersive VR devices in patients undergoing neuromotor rehabilitation.
Adopting a prospective, two-arm, non-randomized study design, patients with different neuromotor diseases (i.e., acquired brain injury, Parkinson's Disease, and total knee/hip arthroplasty) undergoing rehabilitation will be included. In a real-world clinical setting, short- (4 weeks) and long-term (6 months) changes in multiple patient's health domains will be investigated, including the functional status (i.e., motor functioning, ADLs, risk of falls), cognitive functioning (i.e., attention and executive functions), physical and mental health-related quality of life (HRQoL), and the psychological status (i.e., anxiety and depression, quality of life satisfaction). At post-intervention, the overall rehabilitation experience, the psychosocial impact of the robotic and VR devices will be assessed, and technology perceived usability and experience of use will be evaluated through a mixed-methods approach, including both patients' and physiotherapists' perspectives. Repeated measures within-between interaction effects will be estimated, and association analyses will be performed to explore the inter-relationships among the variables investigated. Data collection is currently ongoing.
The biopsychosocial framework adopted will contribute to expanding the perspective on patient's recovery within the technology-based rehabilitation field beyond motor improvement. Moreover, the investigation of devices experience of use and usability will provide further insight into technology deployment in neuromotor rehabilitation programs, thereby maximising therapy engagement and effectiveness.
ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT05399043.
迄今为止，机器人辅助治疗（RAT）和基于虚拟现实（VR）的神经运动康复在患者的神经运动恢复方面显示出了有前景的证据。然而，对于机器人和 VR 设备的使用感知体验以及相关的心理社会影响，我们仍然知之甚少。本研究概述了一项研究方案，旨在调查接受神经运动康复的患者使用机器人和非沉浸式 VR 设备的生物心理社会影响和使用体验。
采用前瞻性、双臂、非随机研究设计，纳入患有不同神经运动疾病（即获得性脑损伤、帕金森病和全膝关节/髋关节置换术）的患者。在真实临床环境中，将研究患者的多个健康领域的短期（4 周）和长期（6 个月）变化，包括功能状态（即运动功能、ADL、跌倒风险）、认知功能（即注意力和执行功能）、身体和心理健康相关生活质量（HRQoL）以及心理状态（即焦虑和抑郁、生活质量满意度）。在干预后，将评估整体康复体验、机器人和 VR 设备的心理社会影响，并通过混合方法评估技术感知可用性和使用体验，包括患者和物理治疗师的观点。将估计重复测量的内部-外部交互效应，并进行关联分析，以探讨所研究变量之间的相互关系。目前正在进行数据收集。
采用的生物心理社会框架将有助于扩大基于技术的康复领域中患者康复的视角，超越运动改善。此外，对设备使用体验和可用性的研究将为神经运动康复计划中技术的部署提供更多的见解，从而最大限度地提高治疗参与度和效果。
ClinicalTrials.gov ID：NCT05399043。
