Video Game Therapy Better than In-Person.

• Position: STROKE REHABILITATION

After a stroke, patients may lose feeling in an arm or experience weakness and reduced movement that limits their ability to complete basic daily activities. Traditional rehabilitation therapy is very intensive, time-consuming, and can be both expensive and inconvenient, especially for rural patients travelling long distances to in-person therapy appointments.

That is why a team of researchers, including one at the University of Missouri, utilized a motion-sensor video game, Recovery Rapids, to allow patients who have survived a stroke to improve their motor skills and affected arm movements at home while checking in periodically with a therapist via telehealth.

The researchers found the game-based therapy led to improved outcomes similar to a highly regarded form of in-person therapy--known as constraint-induced--while only requiring one-fifth of the therapist hours. This approach saves time and money while increasing convenience and safety, as telehealth has boomed in popularity during the COVID19 pandemic.

"As an occupational therapist, I have seen patients from rural areas drive more than an hour to come to an in-person clinic three to four days a week, where the rehab is very intensive, taking three to four hours per session, and the therapist must be there the whole time," says Rachel Proffitt, assistant professor in the School of Health Professions.

With this new at-home gaming approach, we are cutting costs for the patient and reducing time for the therapist while still improving convenience and overall health outcomes, so it's...