Consideration-of-concept of the VirtualRehab Platform for Delivery of Upper Limb Rehabilitation at Home for People Late After Stroke

Background and objectives:

This study is driven by the hypothesis that provision of task-orientated training via a non-immersive virtual reality platform enhances upper limb motor and neural function more than current routine physical therapy for people with stroke. Before this hypothesis can be tested in a randomised controlled clinical trial. If evidence of concept is found, then the next step is identification of the optimum therapeutic dose of exercised-based therapy delivered via the Virtualrehab Platform as a precursor to a clinical efficacy trial. The specific objectives of the study reported here were:

1. to assess the acceptability and usability of the VirtualRehab platform for delivery of stroke rehabilitation at home:
2. to find if stroke survivors adhere to 'prescribed' use of the VirtualRehab platform over a 12-week period;
3. to assess the viability of using randomised length of baselines and repeated measures during the intervention period to inform subsequent study to find the optimum therapeutic dose
4. to estimate how a 12-week period of

Design:

A series of replicated single case studies with an AB design (2.1). During the A, control, phase participants will not receive the experimental intervention. Participants will receive the experimental intervention during the B phase. At the beginning of the control phase, participants will complete the measurement battery. These will be the baseline-one measures. The measurement battery will be repeated at the end of the baseline phase (baseline-two) and at the end of the intervention phase (outcome). Progress measures will be made at the end of every week of the intervention (B) phase.