Effectiveness of virtual reality assisted active limb movement exercises for patients in the respiratory intensive care unit: a randomized pilot study.
{"title":"Effectiveness of virtual reality assisted active limb movement exercises for patients in the respiratory intensive care unit: a randomized pilot study.","authors":"Jiani Wang, Chenxi Shi, Yanrui Jia, Qian Xiao","doi":"10.2340/jrm.v57.28399","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>The primary aim of this study is to compare the effectiveness of early active limb movement facilitated by virtual reality technologies with conventional exercise therapy in enhancing patient recovery in the Respiratory Intensive Care Unit. The follow-up period covers 1 week.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>In this prospective randomized controlled trial, patients were allocated to either a control group, which received standard exercise therapy, or a virtual reality group, which utilized virtual reality software and equipment for active exercises. Patients were followed for 1 week. The study compared compliance, safety, and rehabilitative outcomes between these groups. Data were analysed using a linear mixed-effects model.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Patients in the virtual reality-based exercise group exhibited significantly higher levels of average daily exercise time, out-of-bed exercise time, and overall exercise compliance compared with the control group (p < 0.05). There were no reports of adverse events related to exercise in either group. Notably, within the first week of intervention, the virtual reality-based exercise group showed significant improvements in various parameters, including muscle strength, grip strength, body mass index, and the Barthel Index, outperforming the control group in these areas (all p < 0.05).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Based on 1 week of follow-up data, the study confirms that virtual reality-based exercise modalities are more efficacious than traditional exercise approaches in enhancing exercise duration, compliance, and various health outcomes in Respiratory Intensive Care Unit patients. This approach also contributes to reducing Respiratory Intensive Care Unit stay duration. The system's effectiveness could be further increased by integrating more varied and engaging rehabilitation games and features tailored to the needs of ICU patients.</p><p><strong>Trial registration: </strong>Chictr.org: ChiCTR1900021452.</p>","PeriodicalId":54768,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Rehabilitation Medicine","volume":"57 ","pages":"jrm28399"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5000,"publicationDate":"2025-06-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Journal of Rehabilitation Medicine","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.2340/jrm.v57.28399","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"REHABILITATION","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Objective: The primary aim of this study is to compare the effectiveness of early active limb movement facilitated by virtual reality technologies with conventional exercise therapy in enhancing patient recovery in the Respiratory Intensive Care Unit. The follow-up period covers 1 week.
Methods: In this prospective randomized controlled trial, patients were allocated to either a control group, which received standard exercise therapy, or a virtual reality group, which utilized virtual reality software and equipment for active exercises. Patients were followed for 1 week. The study compared compliance, safety, and rehabilitative outcomes between these groups. Data were analysed using a linear mixed-effects model.
Results: Patients in the virtual reality-based exercise group exhibited significantly higher levels of average daily exercise time, out-of-bed exercise time, and overall exercise compliance compared with the control group (p < 0.05). There were no reports of adverse events related to exercise in either group. Notably, within the first week of intervention, the virtual reality-based exercise group showed significant improvements in various parameters, including muscle strength, grip strength, body mass index, and the Barthel Index, outperforming the control group in these areas (all p < 0.05).
Conclusion: Based on 1 week of follow-up data, the study confirms that virtual reality-based exercise modalities are more efficacious than traditional exercise approaches in enhancing exercise duration, compliance, and various health outcomes in Respiratory Intensive Care Unit patients. This approach also contributes to reducing Respiratory Intensive Care Unit stay duration. The system's effectiveness could be further increased by integrating more varied and engaging rehabilitation games and features tailored to the needs of ICU patients.
期刊介绍:
Journal of Rehabilitation Medicine is an international peer-review journal published in English, with at least 10 issues published per year.
Original articles, reviews, case reports, short communications, special reports and letters to the editor are published, as also are editorials and book reviews. The journal strives to provide its readers with a variety of topics, including: functional assessment and intervention studies, clinical studies in various patient groups, methodology in physical and rehabilitation medicine, epidemiological studies on disabling conditions and reports on vocational and sociomedical aspects of rehabilitation.