Comparative Cohort Study of the Use of Immersive Technologies in the Complex Psychological Rehabilitation of Patients with Motor Disorders

Abstract

Background. Successful correction of the psychological consequences of motor disorders is the key to improving the effectiveness of medical rehabilitation. The literature data on the use of immersive technologies in the correction of psychoemotional disorders of various origins suggest that they can also be effective in the context of psychorehabilitation of patients with motor disorders. However, at the moment there is no scientific and methodological base that allows for the widespread introduction of high-tech VR and AR tools into the practical work of a medical psychologist in a rehabilitation hospital. Aims evaluation of the effectiveness of the inclusion of immersive technologies in the complex psychological rehabilitation of patients with motor disorders. Materials and methods. The design was planned as a controlled empirical randomized open study conducted during 1 calendar year on the basis of a medical rehabilitation hospital, which involved 336 patients with motor function disorders that occurred as a result of a previous stroke or against the background of chronically occurring degenerative-dystrophic diseases of large joints and spine. The results were compared in three groups for each studied high-tech tool the main, comparison and control. 81 patients were included in the study of the effectiveness of the use of the Visual Medicine program in patients with stroke. The effectiveness of the inclusion of the HTC Vive Focus Plus EEA virtual Reality System in the psychological correction of pain syndrome against the background of degenerative and dystrophic diseases was studied in 130 patients. The study of the possibility of using the PRAK hardware and software complex included 125 people with motor disorders: the consequences of stroke (n = 65) and the consequences of chronic degenerative-dystrophic diseases (n = 60). The basis for assessing the stability of indicators of higher efficiency of psychocorrective measures with the inclusion of immersive technologies in comparison with the comparison groups and control groups was the reliability of the results obtained at p 0.05. Results. With a high degree of confidence recorded a positive trend in relation to recovery all kinds of praxis in patients with movement disorders due to stroke, by using the Visual Medicine program; in the case of psychological correction of neuropathic and mixed pain in patients with chronic flowing RSD with the application of the HTC Vive Focus Plus EEA virtual Reality System; to achieve a stable positive dynamics in the correction of the psychoemotional state of patients with impaired motor functions-when the PRAK hardware and software complex is included in the relaxation mode in the complex of psychological rehabilitation. Conclusions. The clinical effectiveness of the use of immersive technologies in relation to the psychological consequences of motor disorders is shown, which makes a significant contribution to solving the problem of optimizing the work of a medical psychologist in a rehabilitation hospital.