A significant increase in exercise test performance with virtual group motivation: a randomised open-label controlled...

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Exercise Physiology
• Medical Technology

Background:

• Exercise stress testing is crucial for diagnosing coronary artery disease.
• Test validity relies heavily on patient cooperation and motivation.
• Virtual reality interventions are emerging in healthcare.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate if virtual group motivation enhances exercise capacity during stress tests.
• To assess the impact of virtual motivation on test validity and patient comfort.

Main Methods:

• A controlled trial randomized 108 patients to either a virtual running group video or a static flower image during treadmill testing.
• Primary outcomes included exercise performance (METs, duration) and perceived comfort.
• Patients were randomized 1:1 to the video or image group.

Main Results:

• The virtual group achieved significantly higher percentages of age-predicted METs (149% vs 135%) and longer exercise durations (11:12 min vs 08:54 min).
• Patients in the virtual group reported significantly higher comfort levels (8.4 vs 7.5) and closeness to physical limits (8.9 vs 8.1).

Conclusions:

• Virtual group motivation significantly increases exercise capacity and duration during stress tests.
• This intervention may improve the validity of exercise stress testing.
• Virtual settings enhance patient comfort and perceived exertion during testing.