Participatory Development of a Virtual Reality Exercise Program for People with Chronic Pain

Area of Science:

• Rehabilitation Medicine
• Human-Computer Interaction
• Digital Health

Background:

• Chronic musculoskeletal pain affects millions globally, necessitating innovative treatment approaches.
• Virtual reality (VR) offers a promising avenue for developing engaging exercise and mindfulness interventions.
• Current VR intervention design may not fully incorporate end-user perspectives, potentially limiting effectiveness.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe how a participatory process influenced the design of a VR-guided intervention study for chronic musculoskeletal pain.
• To advocate for the early inclusion of end-users in the planning stages of VR research.
• To illustrate the impact of end-user involvement on study parameters.

Main Methods:

• A multidisciplinary workshop convened end-user representatives, researchers, clinicians, and VR developers.
• The workshop focused on designing a randomized study and a VR-guided intervention for chronic pain.
• A participatory approach was employed to gather input and facilitate collaborative design.

Main Results:

• The participatory process led to significant modifications in the original study design.
• Changes were implemented in experimental design, intervention duration, VR content, and delivery methods.
• End-user input directly shaped the final study protocol and intervention characteristics.

Conclusions:

• Early and meaningful engagement with end-users is crucial for optimizing VR intervention research.
• Participatory design processes enhance the relevance and potential efficacy of VR interventions for chronic pain.
• This case study underscores the value of collaborative research in developing patient-centered digital health solutions.