2016, Vol.24, No.4

Korean Journal of Occupational Therapy 2023 KCI Impact Factor : 0.81

pISSN : 1226-0134 / eISSN : 2671-4450
https://journal.kci.go.kr/kjot

Objective : The main focus of this study was to provide evidence of improvements in the executive function and balance for stroke patients using virtual reality therapy. Methods : A total of 64 participants diagnosed as having a stroke were randomly assigned to a virtual reality therapy group or a video observation group. Intervention for the VRT(Virtual Reality Therapy) group used a NintendoⓇ Wii FitTM for 20 minutes, three days a week, for five weeks. The VO(Video Observation) group watched a demo clip for the same number of times and duration. Both groups were treated with additional conventional occupational and physical therapy for 20 minutes during the same session. To investigate the clinical features, the Korean versions of the Behavioral Dyscontrol Scale(BDS-K), Functional Reaching Test(FRT), and Timed Up And Go test(TUG) were used. Results : The BDS-K score after intervention was increased more for the VRT group than for the VO group, the difference of which was significant (p<.05). For the changes after intervention, the VRT participants showed significant improvements in BDS-K, FRT, and TUG (p<.05). Conclusion : The clinical features of virtual reality therapy include repetitions of whole-body movements, and provide positive effects in terms of executive functions and balance for stroke patients. This study suggests an evidence-based clinical use of virtual reality application for therapists.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to develop a Korean version of the manual Wheelchair Skills Training Program for hemiplegia (K-WSTP), and evaluate its effectiveness for improving the wheelchair mobility of hemiplegic patients. Methods: Twenty-four subjects were selected to evaluate the effectiveness of the K-WSTP. Of them, six hemiplegic patients requiring assistance when using a manual wheelchair participated as the training group. The other 18 subjects were selected into comparison groups, i.e., independent hemiplegic patients, college students, and occupational therapists, each consisting of 6 persons. All subjects were evaluated based on WST(Wheelchair Skills Test), COPM(Canadian Occupational Perfomance Measure), K-MBI(Korean version of Modified Barthel Index and their subjective opinions before and after implementing the K-WSTP. Results: The results show that the training group was significantly improved (p<.05) in terms of the WST and K-MBI after training. The performance score and degree of satisfaction after training did not show a statistical significance (p>.05) between the training and comparison groups. Of the total subjects, 18.2% expressed their opinion regarding the difficulties in wheelchair movements such as ‘turn in place’ and ‘maneuver sideways’, whereas the training group expressed an opinion regarding the difficulties in a ‘level transfer’ and ‘relieving weight from the buttocks.’ (note from editor, please check the red sentence carefully to make sure it matches your original intention.) Conclusion: The developed K-WSTP showed improvements in wheelchair skills, independence, individual performance, and satisfaction. It is expected that this study will enhance the motivation toward rehabilitation, improving one's mobility in daily life, and contribute to the quality of life of hemiplegic patients.

Objective : This study aims to suggest the basis for the development of evaluation items used to measure the community participation of stroke patients. Methods : Opinions were collected from 32 community and stroke-related expert panels using the Delphi method. The first survey gathered opinions through items reconstructed using closed-ended·open-ended questions for community participation, while the second survey determined the goodness of fit and its importance. The third survey was a final check of the opinions by providing a response and results to the second survey. Results : A total of 38 items were selected from the first Delphi results. For the second Delphi results, five items showing a value of .33 or lower for the content validity ratio were removed to make a total of 33 items. For the third Delphi results, the 33 items were deemed to be fit, and were therefore selected. Finally, the average content validity ratio of the Delphi results was .93, the stability was .11, the convergence was .40, and the consensus was .83, which are regarded as high scores. Conclusion : Through this study, items for measuring the degree of participation of stroke patients in their community were developed. In is expected that these results can be used as a basic set of data to promote more participation by stroke patients in their communities.