Article

Objective: To establish the stability and validity of information collected in a virtual reality environment from persons with traumatic brain injury (TBI). Design: Prospective correlation design to, examine 3-week test-retest results for equivalence reliability between computer- simulated and natural environments. Setting: A residential rehabilitation center for brain injury, Participants: fifty-four consecutive patients with TBI who received comprehensive rehabilitation services and who were at different stages of recovery Intervention: An immersive virtual kitchen was developed in which a meal preparation task involving multiple steps was performed. The subjects completed meal preparation both in a virtual reality kitchen and an actual kitchen twice over a 3-week period. Main Outcome Measures: Time and errors on task completion using virtual reality assessment, actual kitchen performance (analogous to the virtual reality environment), occupational therapy (OT) evaluation, and neuropsychologic tests. Results: The stability of performance using the simulated virtual environment was estimated with-intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs). The ICC value for total performance, based on all steps involved in the meal preparation task, was .76 (P<.01). The construct validity of the simulated environment was examined by correlatin. 9 performance in the virtual environment with that in the actual kitchen (r=.63, P<.01), the OT evaluation (r=.30, P=.05 for meal preparation; r=.40, P=.01 for cognitive subskills), and neuropsychologic tests (r=.56, P<.01 for the full-scale intelligence quotient [IQ]; r=.40, P<.01 for the verbal IQ; r=.56, P<.01 for the performance IQ). Finally, a multiple regression analysis revealed that the virtual reality environment test was a good predictor for the actual assessment kitchen (beta=35, P=.01). Conclusion; The virtual reality system showed adequate reliability and validity as a method of assessment in persons with brain injury

Langue : ANGLAIS

Identifiant basis : 2003227801