Abstract
Physical exercise is one of the main components of rehabilitation programs designed for patients with chronic respiratory diseases. Endurance exercise training, in the form of cycling or walking, allows to improve leg muscles strength and cardiorespiratory fitness. Positive effects have been demonstrated even if there is still need for improving patients’ motivation and empowerment with the aim of fostering the continuity of care. In this scenario, Virtual Reality (VR) represents a valuable solution thanks to the possibility to provide real-time feedback and to create engaging training environments. The literature shows some promising results mainly regarding the use of virtual games for strength and aerobic exercise in patients with respiratory diseases. However, more research is needed to understand whether coupling VR with physical training is effective in improving respiratory rehabilitation. Within this context, the current paper presents a VR-based system for patients with respiratory diseases performing endurance exercise training on a cycle-ergometer. The Virtual Park allows the therapists to create a personalized training and enables patients to exercise while riding in a virtual park. Preliminary results on a group of 8 patients showed excellent usability and high acceptability after a single session of exercise. Future works foresee the comparison, in terms of both clinical outcomes and motivational aspects, between a training program based on the Virtual Park and a traditional one.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsReferences
Spruit, M.A., et al.: An official American Thoracic Society/European Respiratory Society statement: key concepts and advances in pulmonary rehabilitation. Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med. 188(8), e13–e64 (2013)
Bisson, E., Contant, B., Sveistrup, H., Lajoie, Y.: Functional balance and dual-task reaction times in older adults are improved by virtual reality and biofeedback training. Cyberpsychol. Behav. 10(1), 16–23 (2007)
Riva, G., Banos, R.M., Botella, C., Wiederhold, B.K., Gaggioli, A.: Positive technology: using interactive technologies to promote positive functioning. Cyberpsychol. Behav. Soc. Netw. 15(2), 69–77 (2012)
De Bruin, E.D., Schoene, D., Pichierri, G., Smith, S.T.: Use of virtual reality technique for the training of motor control in the elderly. Zeitschrift für Gerontologie und Geriatrie 43(4), 229–234 (2010)
Butler, S.J., Lee, A.L., Goldstein, R.S., Brooks, D.: Active video games as a training tool for individuals with chronic respiratory diseases: a systematic review. J. Cardiopulm. Rehab. Prev. 39(2), 85 (2019)
Albores, J., Marolda, C., Haggerty, M., Gerstenhaber, B., ZuWallack, R.: The use of a home exercise program based on a computer system in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. J. Cardiopulm. Rehab. Prev. 33(1), 47–52 (2013)
Dikken, J.B.J., van Beijnum, B.-J.F., Hofs, D.H.W., Botman, M.P.L., Vollenbroek-Hutten, M.M., Hermens, H.J.: Development of an integrated virtual group training system for COPD patients. In: Proceedings of the International Joint Conference on Biomedical Engineering Systems and Technologies (BIOSTEC 2014), vol. 5. Science and Technology Publications, Angers (2014)
Holland, A.E., Hill, C.J., Rochford, P., Fiore, J., Berlowitz, D.J., McDonald, C.F.: Telerehabilitation for people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: feasibility of a simple, real time model of supervised exercise training. J. Telemed. Telecare 19(4), 222–226 (2013)
Tekerlek, H., et al.: Short-term effects of virtual reality and music with exercise training on affective responses and satisfaction level in patients with chronic respiratory disease. Eur. Respir. J. 50(Suppl. 61), PA2537 (2017)
Bruun-Pedersen, J.R.: Going out while staying in: how recreational virtual environment augmentation can motivate regular exercise for older adult nursing home residents. Ph.D. Ser, Faculty of Engineering Science (2016)
Arlati, S., Zangiacomi, A., Greci, L., di Santo, S.G., Franchini, F., Sacco, M.: Virtual environments for cognitive and physical training in elderly with mild cognitive impairment: a pilot study. In: De Paolis, L.T., Bourdot, P., Mongelli, A. (eds.) AVR 2017. LNCS, vol. 10325, pp. 86–106. Springer, Cham (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-60928-7_8
Arlati, S., et al.: A virtual reality-based physical and cognitive training system aimed at preventing symptoms of dementia. In: Perego, P., Rahmani, A.M., Taherinejad, N. (eds.) MobiHealth 2017. LNICST, vol. 247, pp. 117–125. Springer, Cham (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-98551-0_14
Pedroli, E., et al.: Characteristics, usability, and users experience of a system combining cognitive and physical therapy in a virtual environment: positive bike. Sensors 18(7) (2018)
Gloeckl, R., Marinov, B., Pitta, F.: Practical recommendations for exercise training in patients with COPD. Eur. Respir. Rev. 22(128), 178–186 (2013)
Brooke, J.: SUS—a quick and dirty usability scale. Usability Eval. Ind. 189, 4–7 (1996)
Davis, F.D.: Perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and user acceptance of information technology. MIS Q. 13, 319–340 (1989)
Venkatesh, V., Davis, F.D.: A theoretical extension of the technology acceptance model: four longitudinal field studies. Manag. Sci. 46(2), 186–204 (2000)
Sauro, J.: MeasuringU: Why you only need to test with five users (explained) (2010). https://measuringu.com/five-users/
Measuring Usability with the System Usability Scale (SUS). https://www.userfocus.co.uk/articles/measuring-usability-with-the-SUS.html. Accessed 27 June 2019
Hackos, J.T., Redish, J.: User and Task Analysis for Interface Design. Wiley, New York (1998)
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2019 Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this paper
Cite this paper
Colombo, V., Mondellini, M., Gandolfo, A., Fumagalli, A., Sacco, M. (2019). Usability and Acceptability of a Virtual Reality-Based System for Endurance Training in Elderly with Chronic Respiratory Diseases. In: Bourdot, P., Interrante, V., Nedel, L., Magnenat-Thalmann, N., Zachmann, G. (eds) Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality. EuroVR 2019. Lecture Notes in Computer Science(), vol 11883. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-31908-3_6
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-31908-3_6
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-31907-6
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-31908-3
eBook Packages: Computer ScienceComputer Science (R0)