Background: Digital media and gaming have received considerable interest from researchers and clinicians as a model for\nlearning a broad range of complex tasks and facilitating the transfer of skills to daily life. These emerging rehabilitation technologies\nhave the potential to improve clinical outcomes and patient participation because they are engaging, motivating, and accessible.\nOur research goal is to develop preventative and therapeutic point-of-care eHealth applications that will lead to equivalent or\nbetter long-term health outcomes and health care costs than existing programs. We have produced a novel computer-aided\ntele-rehabilitation platform that combines computer game-based exercises with tele-monitoring.\nObjective: Compare the therapeutic effectiveness of an in-home, game-based rehabilitation program (GRP) to standard care\ndelivered in an outpatient physical therapy clinic on measures of balance, gaze control, dizziness, and health-related quality of\nlife.\nMethods: A randomized, controlled, single-blind pilot trial will be conducted. Fifty-six participants with a diagnosis of peripheral\nvestibular disorder will be randomly assigned to either usual physical therapy (comparator group) or to a game-based intervention\n(experimental group). Measures to be assessed will include gaze control, dynamic balance, and self-reported measures of dizziness.\nResults: The project was funded and enrollment was started in August 2014. To date, 36 participants have been enrolled. There\nhave been 6 drop-outs. It is expected that the study will be completed January 2016 and the first results are expected to be submitted\nfor publication in Spring of 2016.\nConclusions: A successful application of this rehabilitation program would help streamline rehabilitation services, leverage\ntherapist time spent with clients, and permit regular practice times at the client�s convenience.
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