Gamification of Physical Therapy Exercises Using Commercial Entertainment Content: A Safety and Feasibility Study

Area of Science:

• Rehabilitation Medicine
• Human-Computer Interaction
• Behavioral Science

Background:

• Home-based physiotherapy is vital for rehabilitation but suffers from low adherence (up to 80%) due to motivation and tracking issues.
• Lack of patient engagement in prescribed at-home exercises leads to suboptimal therapeutic outcomes.
• Current standard of care for independent physiotherapy lacks sufficient motivational elements.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the safety and feasibility of using commercial entertainment content to enhance motivation during home physiotherapy.
• To assess patient enjoyment and perceived competence with an interactive physiotherapy system.
• To evaluate the potential of gamified rehabilitation for improving adherence and outcomes.

Main Methods:

• A novel software prototype was developed, allowing physiotherapy movements to control entertainment content (video games, interactive music).
• Seven patients with musculoskeletal and neurological conditions participated in four physiotherapy sessions in a controlled environment.
• Patient safety, feasibility, enjoyment, perceived competence, and effort were assessed using the Intrinsic Motivation Inventory (IMI) questionnaire.

Main Results:

• All participants successfully interacted with the entertainment content and completed the study without adverse events.
• The system demonstrated feasibility and safety across diverse patient pathologies and training scenarios.
• Patients reported high enjoyment of the entertainment content, with an average rating of 6/7 on the IMI scale.

Conclusions:

• Integrating commercial entertainment with physical therapy exercises is a safe and feasible approach to enhance patient motivation.
• This gamified rehabilitation strategy shows promise in improving adherence and engagement in at-home physiotherapy.
• The system effectively maintained patient enjoyment, suggesting a potential solution for motivational deficits in rehabilitation.