Assessing the effectiveness of virtual reality serious games in post-stroke rehabilitation: a novel evaluation method

This paper presents a novel evaluation method for assessing the effectiveness of virtual reality serious games (In our work, we used virtual reality as a simulated 3D environment, not immersive headsets) in post-stroke rehabilitation. Stroke, which is a leading cause of long-term disability, requires effective rehabilitation approaches to facilitate motor recovery and enhance patients' quality of life. The study aims to investigate the potential benefits of incorporating VR technology into upper limb rehabilitation for post-stroke patients, with a specific focus on evaluating patient motivation and engagement. The proposed evaluation method provides insights into the effectiveness of VR serious games as a rehabilitation tool and contributes to the understanding of their impact on post-stroke recovery. This study involved the recruitment of a diverse sample of 20 patients, both male and female, who had experienced left hemiplegia as a result of an ischemic stroke. To ensure a representative sample, patients of different ages were included. Participants were divided into three groups, with each group invited to participate in different stages over a one-year period. During an eight-week period, all groups participated in a rehabilitation program consisting of virtual reality exercises twice a week, alongside five traditional rehabilitation sessions per week. Furthermore, this study introduces a novel approach using camera-based sensors to evaluate patient engagement in virtual reality exercises. By monitoring and analyzing facial expressions throughout each rehabilitation session, our objective is to leverage emotion recognition technology to understand patients' emotional states and levels of motivation and engagement. The findings from this study indicate that a significant number of patients showed motivation during virtual reality rehabilitation exercises. The analysis of facial expressions utilizing camera-based sensors,yielded valuable insights into the emotional state and level of engagement exhibited by the participants. These findings substantiate the efficacy of virtual reality as a potent tool in fostering motivation among post-stroke patients, thereby actively involving them in rehabilitation exercises and facilitating their journey toward recovery.