CASE STUDY
Immersive virtual reality to improve physiotherapy care of Duchenne muscular dystrophy patients
LONG-TERM CONDITIONS
THEME
UNMET NEED
Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a genetic disorder causing muscle weakness and wasting, which affects 2,500 people in the UK.
DMD patients need to undertake a daily stretching programme to maintain maximum muscle extensibility and optimise function. However, many children and young people are not motivated to perform these exercises, leading to earlier complications, reduced function, and a poorer long-term prognosis.
PROJECT CONCEPT / SOLUTION
The collaborative research group involved in this project has previously demonstrated that an immersive virtual reality (IVR) system can improve the delivery, engagement, and success of physiotherapy for adult amputees, burns’ patients, and children with upper limb injuries.
The team was subsequently awarded funding to determine if IVR can improve physiotherapy treatments for paediatric patients with DMD. The team are delivering a video game via IVR that integrates physiotherapist recommended stretches to see if it can increase motivation to perform daily stretches, and ultimately lead to better long-term outcomes.
SUPPORT PROVIDED
ACCESS TO NHS AND NIHR INFRASTRUCTURE
Our team facilitated a collaboration between Impact VR at Sheffield Hallam University and the clinical teams at Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust and Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.
PROJECT MANAGEMENT
One of our project managers was assigned to this project to oversee all work packages and ensure the protocol was followed and timelines adhered to. Professor Paul Dimitri, Director of NIHR CYP MedTech / the NIHR HRC in Paediatrics and Child Health, was the Chief Investigator for this project.
FUNDING
Our team identified relevant funding calls and lead on the successful grant application.
FUNDING
The project team successfully secured funding from The Children’s Hospital Charity to develop the IVR system and trial it with 16 DMD patients.
STAGE OF DEVELOPMENT
BEFORE SUPPORT
BASIC IDEA
CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT
PROTOTYPE DEVELOPMENT
PROTOTYPE VALIDATION
CLINICAL TESTING
REGULATORY APPROVAL
MANUFACTURING
COMMERCIALLY / PUBLICLY AVAILABLE
CURRENT STAGE
BASIC IDEA
CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT
PROTOTYPE DEVELOPMENT
PROTOTYPE VALIDATION
CLINICAL TESTING
REGULATORY APPROVAL
MANUFACTURING
COMMERCIALLY / PUBLICLY AVAILABLE
POTENTIAL IMPACT
The project team has developed the first dedicated and NHS developed IVR system to support physiotherapy for young people with DMD.
This study will help determine if an IVR system can improve adherence to physiotherapy exercises of young patients with DMD. The team is currently assessing staff, parent and patient satisfaction in using this novel technology. Preliminary findings show that using IVR in a home environment is likely to improve patient engagement whilst being able to monitor compliance. This is the first platform of its kind developed for lower limb rehabilitation in DMD patients.
NEXT STEPS
Having been through a thorough design process and having conducted a short feasibility trial, the team will analyse the data collected to gauge the young people’s experience of the IVR platform and the results will inform on the effectiveness of the platform on improving ankle range of movement, motor function and compliance/adherence to the recommended daily stretching programme. Qualitative interviews and questionnaires have also been conducted with patients and clinical staff to obtain feedback on acceptability and practicality of using IVR for clinical use. The results from the feasibility study are currently being analysed and will inform on the feasibility of applying for further funding to undertake necessary development on the platform and for a larger multi centre clinical trial.
PARTNERS