Authors (including presenting author) :
CHEUNG KY (1), HO HHT (1), Fan MK (1), CHOY PC (1), YIP CH (1), LAU M (1), YUE SY (1), IP WM (1), CHAN WC (1), LEUNG YS (1)
Affiliation :
(1) Shatin Hospital
Keyword 1: :
Virtual Reality
Keyword 2: :
neurological conditions
Keyword 3: :
Cognitive rehabilitation
Keyword 4: :
Activities of daily living
Keyword 5: :
Standardization
Keyword 6: :
Independent living
Introduction :
Neurological diseases often cause various degrees of cognitive and physical impairment, resulting in decreased level of independence in activities of daily living (ADLs). Virtual reality (VR) has been increasingly adopted in the rehabilitation field by providing immersive therapeutic experiences to patients with different clinical conditions. Featured by the realism and interactivity, VR allows repeated practice of skills in a secured environment with enhanced generalization effects. Given its promising benefits, we have been applying this treatment modality in our standardized rehabilitation protocol. This research aims at studying the feasibility and clinical effectiveness of using VR in enhancing the ADL and cognitive performance of patients with neurological disorders.
Objectives :
This research aims at studying the feasibility and clinical effectiveness of using VR in enhancing the ADL and cognitive performance of patients with neurological disorders.
Methodology :
A total of 60 patients diagnosed with neurological diseases were recruited from the Neurological and Neurosurgical wards of Shatin Hospital from March to November 2025. Patients with epilepsy, recent concussion, vestibular disorders, severe visual impairment and head wound were excluded. They were randomly assigned to either control or VR group. All patients received 45 minutes of therapy sessions 5 times per week for 4-16 weeks. Control group (n=30) received conventional training (i.e. robotic assisted upper limb training, ADL training and cognitive rehabilitation, etc.) alone while VR group (n=30) received upper limb, ADL and cognitive training via certified immersive VR therapy system (CUREO®) for 20 minutes during each therapy session in addition to conventional training. A self-derived questionnaire using 5-point Likert scale was adopted to evaluate the user experience and level of satisfaction after using VR device. Hong Kong version of Montreal Cognitive Assessment (HK-MoCA) and Modified Barthel Index (MBI) were administered as outcome measures.
Result & Outcome :
For the ADL performance, patients undergoing VR training in addition to conventional training has significantly more improvement in MBI (p< 0.034) than those who received conventional training alone. In terms of cognitive performance, the Wilcoxon signed-rank test showed significant improvement in HK-MoCA (p< 0.001) in both control and experimental groups. The self-derived questionnaire reviewed overall positive user feedback in using VR. 100% of them reported the VR activities as interesting and beneficial in their rehabilitation. 82.3% reported the Meta Quest headset as comfortable to wear while 17.7% reported average level of comfortability. This study suggested that VR is interesting and feasible to use in rehabilitation. Evidence has shown additional benefits from VR in improving the ADL performance of patients with neurological disorders than conventional training alone. Further study on its application in larger population with more diverse clinical conditions is recommended.
