[WEB SITE] Virtual reality games to help patients’ rehabilitation in UAE

The AI system is already in use in Ras Al Khaimah Physiotherapy and Sports Centre and will be rolled out soon in all ministry hospitals.

A therapist will always be present to monitor these sessions of patients.

Games developed specially for rehabilitation in physiotherapy for patients of stroke, cerebral palsy and similar conditions, will be used by the Ministry of Health and Prevention (Mohap) as it rolls out use of artificial intelligence (AI) and virtual reality (VR) in hospitals.

The AI system is already in use in Ras Al Khaimah Physiotherapy and Sports Centre and will be rolled out soon in all other ministry hospitals. “Games are developed for rehab of such patients, for both children and adults, especially those suffering from cerebral palsy and motor delay conditions,” Dr Yousif Mohammed Al Serkal, assistant undersecretary for the hospital sector, told Khaleej Times.

“The AI system is composed of three parts – a TV set, a sensory kinetic bar and an X-Box linked with these. Specific games are used to assess how cognitive a patient is,” he said.

A therapist will always be present to monitor these sessions of patients and will assess their conditions accordingly, he added.

He also explained the advantages of VR using AI in physiotherapy to provide treatment. “This will allow the patient to complete the treatment at his/her home with the possibility of remote rehabilitation,” he said.

“In the treatment of stroke, the virtual reality system evaluates and enhances the recovery of the affected upper parts, in addition to the training for the walking device used for rehabilitation.

“The patient moves at a speed on the motion platform with changing virtual environments being displayed on the front screen to simulate daily activities. In the treatment of the balance disorder, virtual reality is a safe and effective alternative to conventional therapy to improve the balance in patients,” he said. “Patients have reported that they enjoyed VR therapy without suffering from side effects, and with increased motivation.

“This technique is also used to treat children with developmental disorders, including positive developments in both perceived and performance capabilities in areas of daily activities including social activities that they have not been able to do before.”

The virtual therapy also assists cerebral palsy patients in the reorganisation of the brain and movement ability and visual cognitive skills, in addition to social participation and personal factors.

More about VR with AI

The UAE Strategy for Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a project within the Centennial Plan 2071. The plan will also include virtual reality (VR) rehabilitation in physiotherapy for stroke patients, patients suffering from balance disorder and children with development disorders, cerebral palsy and Parkinson’s syndrome.

VR rehabilitation technology makes use of virtual world simulation to meet various requirements for effective medical intervention to achieve the best results using the video game controller and the moving sensor. Scientific studies have proven the effectiveness of this innovative technique in the rehabilitation and treatment of many such cases.

KT NANO EDIT

AI boost to healthcare

Healthcare industry stands to gain significantly by inducting artificial intelligence into various processes. The technology can take the fear out of procedures and make treatments more effective. The UAE has been experimenting on this front and results are encouraging so far. Innovation through AI is becoming more meaningful with its human-centric approach, and the medical experts are now looking at expanding its scope.

asmaalizain@khaleejtimes.com

 

via Virtual reality games to help patients’ rehabilitation in UAE – Khaleej Times

[WEB SITE] Xbox in the Rehabilitation of Chronic Traumatic Brain Injury

Study currently recruiting participants.

…Traumatic brain injury is an extremely common disease, it counts 50.000 deaths and 235.000 hospitalizations every year. Functional consequences of an acquired brain injury have a considerable impact on quality of lives of patients and care-givers with direct effects on balance, mobility and on psycho-social functions. Attention deficits are one of the most frequent and disabling consequences of severe brain injury. Within the wide spectrum of attentive problems, patients with traumatic brain injury frequently have shown difficulties in divided attention. Patients, care-givers and professionals frequently refer difficulties also in selective attention and vigilance as consequence of the trauma. It has been shown how these difficulties are tightly related with the missed return to work after two years from the injury.

The hypothesis of this study is to investigate the feasibility of a rehabilitative protocol on gaming using the console Xbox and its efficacy in improving balance, mobility, risk of falling, attentive functions (selective and divided attention) in subjects which have had a traumatic brain injury at least 12 months before…

via Xbox in the Rehabilitation of Chronic Traumatic Brain Injury – ClinicalTrials.gov.