The Feasibility, Usability, and Acceptability of Using the Oculus™ Virtual Reality Gaming Technology in Stroke Survivors for Upper Extremity and Cognitive Rehabilitation

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to test the (a) feasibility, (b) usability, and (c) acceptability of using the Oculus Virtual Reality (VR) for chronic stroke survivors who have mild-moderate cognitive and unilateral arm impairment to administer upper extremity and cognitive rehabilitation, to calculate the change in upper extremity and cognition scores on standardized measurements per standard of care and to qualitatively explore the impact of engaging caregivers in supporting the stroke survivor's rehabilitation and the impact of this engagement on the stroke survivor and caregiver dyad using semi-structured interviews.

Condition

  • Stroke

Eligibility

Eligible Ages
Over 18 Years
Eligible Genders
All
Accepts Healthy Volunteers
No

Inclusion Criteria

  • Ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke diagnosis within 6 months to 2 years of enrollment - can read, write, comprehend, speak English - willing and able to provide informed consent - Caregivers must live in the home with the stroke survivor

Exclusion Criteria

  • do not have score ranges that indicate mild to moderate severity on the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA )(15-25) or other appropriate cognitive screening test selected by the speech language pathologist - has aphasia, hemiopsia, and other neurological deficits that prevents the participant from being examined using MoCA or a modified MoCA, Fugl-Meyer Assessment - Upper Extremity (FM) (20-50) - unstable while standing unassisted - have a history of motion sickness/ vertigo/ dizziness/seizures, claustrophobia, blind/deaf, and cannot hold the controller in their affected arm.

Study Design

Phase
N/A
Study Type
Interventional
Allocation
N/A
Intervention Model
Single Group Assignment
Primary Purpose
Treatment
Masking
None (Open Label)

Arm Groups

ArmDescriptionAssigned Intervention
Experimental
Oculus VR
  • Device: Oculus VR
    During the first visit, the Oculus headset will be placed on the stroke survivor's head and demonstrate how to use the headset. participant will be then allowed to play a game using the hand controllers for up to 30 minutes. Finally, a copy of exercises for their home rehabilitation program will be provided. During the next rehabilitation visits, a trained research assistant will guide the stroke survivor with using the gaming headset. The session will be stopped every 20 minutes to make sure that the stroke survivor is feeling well and to give them a break. The stroke survivor may stop the session at any time. This session will last for an hour.

Recruiting Locations

The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston
Houston, Texas 77030
Contact:
Seema S Aggarwal, PhD, APRN, AGNP-C
713-500-9946
Seema.S.Aggarwal@uth.tmc.edu

More Details

Status
Recruiting
Sponsor
The University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston

Study Contact

Seema S Aggarwal, PhD, APRN, AGNP-C
713-500-9946
Seema.S.Aggarwal@uth.tmc.edu