Is the Virtual Engagement Rehabilitation Assistant (VERA) acceptable, and its use feasible, to patients and staff in an inpatient rehabilitation setting?
- Conditions
- StrokeCirculatory System
- Registration Number
- ISRCTN93487244
- Lead Sponsor
- niversity of Central Lancashire
- Brief Summary
Not available
- Detailed Description
Not available
Recruitment & Eligibility
- Status
- Completed
- Sex
- All
- Target Recruitment
- 40
This study comprises three phases. The aim is to recruit six participants for each phase.
Service-user participants in phase I with independent use of Evaluation of the Virtual Engagement Rehabilitation Assistant (VERA):
1. Have rehabilitation goals that can be addressed through the activities in VERA
2. Have been assessed by a speech and language therapist as able to communicate to allow effective interaction with the VERA unit
3. Able to use VERA independently (without support from the equipment available on the ward or from another person)
4. Able to understand the English language, as the first version of VERA will use the English language only
5. Have complex rehabilitation needs described as needing the services of a multidisciplinary team comprising highly trained professionals due to:
5.1. High physical dependency
5.2. Mixed physical, cognitive/behavioural dependency
5.3. Cognitive/behavioural disabilities.
Service-user participants with greater support needs in phases 2 and 3:
1. Have rehabilitation goals that can be addressed through the activities in VERA
2. Have been assessed by a speech and language therapist as able to communicate to allow effective interaction with the VERA unit independently or with additional equipment or support from another person
3. Able to understand the English language, as the first version of VERA will use the English language only
4. Have complex rehabilitation needs described as needing the services of a multidisciplinary team comprising highly trained professionals due to:
4.1. High physical dependency
4.2. Mixed physical, cognitive/behavioural dependency
4.3. Cognitive/behavioural disabilities.
Staff participants will be eligible to participate if they:
1. Are a member of the medical, nursing and allied health professional staff, either a qualified professional or staff working in a support role
2. Have worked in their professional capacity with service users using VERA during the previous six weeks
1. Service users will be excluded in phase I if they:
1.1 Have been assessed by a speech and language therapist as unable to use VERA without support from the equipment available on the ward or from another person
1.2. Do not have mental capacity to engage in the study. This will be assessed through discussion between the service user, the clinical team and the researchers and, where permission is given, with participant-identified family and friends. This discussion will be based on the five principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 Code of Practice (Department for Constitutional Affairs, 2007).
2. Service users will be excluded in Phases II and III if they:
2.1. Do not have the mental capacity to engage in the study. This will be assessed through discussion between the service user, the clinical team and the researchers and, where permission is given, with participant-identified family and friends. This discussion will be based on the five principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 Code of Practice (Department for Constitutional Affairs, 2007).
3. Staff participants will be excluded if they:
3.1. Spend less than seven hours a week working with service users in the Complex Rehabilitation Unit
3.2. Have not worked in their professional capacity with any service users who are using VERA
Study & Design
- Study Type
- Interventional
- Study Design
- Not specified
- Primary Outcome Measures
Name Time Method A framework analysis (Ritchie and Spencer 1994) was used to analyse the data collected<br>1. Qualitative component: Exploration of the acceptability, feasibility and usability, and information about who may gain benefit/disbenefit from VERA measured using training questionnaires, service-user interviews and the staff focus groups during the intervention<br>1.1. Experience of receiving training to use VERA <br>1.2. Experiences of using VERA<br>1.3. Facilitators and barriers to using VERA<br><br>2. Qualitative component: <br>Overall total number of minutes of VERA usage recorded at 6 weeks
- Secondary Outcome Measures
Name Time Method 1. Health measured using Short Form-35 (SF-35) questionnaire pre- and post- intervention (0 and 6 weeks)<br>2. Depression measured using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) pre- and post- intervention (0 and 6 weeks)<br>3. Anxiety measured using General Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) questionnaire pre- and post- intervention (0 and 6 weeks)<br>4. Occupational participation measured using the Occupational Self Assessment pre- and post- intervention (0 and 6 weeks)<br>5. Cognition measured using the Six-item Cognitive Impairment Test (6CIT) pre- and post- intervention (0 and 6 weeks)