Jawad Ali Hashim, Alanna Weisberg, Alanna Weisberg, Larry Katz.
Virtual Rehabilitation - Conceptual Framework and Applications in Healthcare.
Int J Rehab Sci Jan ;06(01):29.

Background: ?Rehabilitation? is a commonly used term in healthcare that denotes the restoration of abilities lost due to a disease, injury or a congenital condition. This process helps the individual to achieve and maintain maximum functional independence and quality of life and prevent future impairments. Virtual Rehabilitation (VRehab) is the use of virtual environments (VE) as a medium to perform specific tasks and enable an individual to improve his/her physical and cognitive functions. Objective: To identify the various components of VRehab and assess their usability and future potential applications in healthcare. Methods: Based on a review of literature, we developed a conceptual framework for creating VRehab programs and identified various categories of VRehab in healthcare. Results: VRehab is a relatively new addition to existing methods of rehabilitation. The model has four components of VRehab: users, applications, social-factors, and VE. VE is a critical component for a successful implementation. Three key aspects of VE must be considered during application: a safety protocol, an interface that connects the user with the environment, and matching the activities to the specific function being restored. Some of the limiting factors for clinicians and researchers when using VR based systems include: associated costs, maintenance, quality and accessibility of equipment, cultural sensitivity, and safety of the user. Conclusion: Research shows that if VRehab is properly designed and implemented, it can be an effective tool in rehabilitation programs. New advancements in technology increased the potential use of VR based applications for healthcare interventions. Commercial availability of relatively inexpensive VR interfaces have enabled researchers and practitioners? to experiment with these tool to validate their effectiveness. Moreover, well designed VE?s seems more motivating and engaging than traditional programs resulting in improved outcomes. Ideally healthcare professionals should develop new activities specifically designed for rehabilitation, but they can also adapt existing commercial VR tools and games for rehabilitation.

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