Authors (including presenting author) :
Chan CT(1), Tang LM(1), Ho CME(1)
Affiliation :
(1) Occupational Therapy Department, Tai Po Hospital
Introduction :
Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL) are critical for promoting independence and community reintegration. However, there are various limitations in using the traditional training approach in IADL training. Virtual Reality (VR) provides an innovative platform to simulate realistic training scenarios for IADL and improves functional performance.
Objectives :
This study evaluates the effect of VR-based IADL training in enhancing ADL and IADL performance respectively.
Methodology :
Medical & Geriatrics patients in Tai Po Hospital were recruited and each participant received at least 3 sessions (25 mins each) of VR-based IADL training. Within the program, participant’s roles in daily life were first identified. Different VR training scenarios were matched according to their roles and needs. Participants would also receive feedback from therapists after each training session. Inclusion criteria were 1) Satisfactory performance in cognitive assessment: MoCA/MoCA-5 score of ≥7th percentile and 2) ability to perform ambulatory ADL with standby assistance or higher with MBI score ≥ 70 and 3) planning to discharge home. Outcome measures included changes in modified Barthel Index (MBI) and Lawton IADL scores and the data were compared between pre and post intervention.
Result & Outcome :
RESULTS
17 participants (mean ± SD age = 72 ± 10.33) were recruited. The mean number of sessions participated for each participant were 6 sessions with a standard deviation of 3.98. By comparing the pre and post outcome measures though Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test, the mean difference of MBI scores was 11.88 with an increase of 16.21% (p = .001). For IADL performance, the mean difference of Lawton IADL scores was 5.24 with an increase of 35.62% (p = .001). The result suggested that VR training demonstrated statistically significant improvements in both ADL task and IADL task.
CONCLUSION
Participants would gain therapeutic benefits from VR training. The result suggested that VR training improves ADL and IADL task performance. However, it was noticed that participants with low cognitive profiles showed limitations in their performance in IADL training. Further studies on integrating cognitive training together with VR training in IADL training for patients with low cognitive profile are recommended to refine the VR applications for various clinical conditions.
