Author Of 1 Presentation
P0081 - Exploring the usability and patient satisfaction of a virtual rehabilitation program in multiple sclerosis: The RehabVR study protocol (ID 210)
Abstract
Background
Background: There is an association between motor and cognitive impairment in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) over their disease course and strong evidence that physical therapy can prevent disability progression in these patients. Virtual reality (VR) has emerged as a promising treatment approach in rehabilitation for patients with MS due to its potential to increase patient motivation and rehabilitation adherence. However, there is a lack of studies about its safety, feasibility and effectiveness in MS patients.
Objectives
Objectives: The objective of this study protocol is to evaluate the feasibility, adherence, safety and effectiveness of a virtual reality rehabilitation (VRR) program in MS patients compared to a conventional rehabilitation (CR) program.
Methods
Methods: A randomized, prospective, open-label, controlled feasibility study will be conducted in a sample of 48 individuals diagnosed with MS. Participants will be allocated 2:1 to the VRR group (32) or CR group (16). Both groups will perform 8 in-hospital physical therapy sessions of 2 hours each, twice a week over 4 weeks. The VRR group will perform half of these sessions with a VRR tool. In addition, both groups will continue rehabilitation at home for 5 months. The VRR program was designed by a multidisciplinary group of healthcare professionals (neurologists, physiatrists, physiotherapists, neuropsychologists) according to a validated CR program. Feasibility will be assessed by the User Satisfaction Evaluation Questionnaire (USEQ). Secondary outcomes include adherence, disability, spasms and spasticity, balance, fatigue, activities of daily living, depression, anxiety, work status, cognition, demographic and clinical characteristics (in the VRR and CR groups), and safety (in the VRR group). Outcome measures will be assessed at baseline and at 1 and 6 months from the start of rehabilitation.
Results
Results: Due to the present comunication is a description of an ongoing study protocol there are stil not results to present.
Conclusions
Conclusions: A better understanding of long-term patient satisfaction with a VRR program specifically designed for MS patients would allow us to optimize the rehabilitation program and to collect valuable information for its implementation in the clinical practice. Additionally, the study will provide information on long-term adherence, changes in motor symptoms, cognitive function and patient-reported outcomes after the rehabilitation program. Altogether, the results from this study will help to gather valuable knowledge on the use of rehabilitation with a new VR tool in MS patients.