RELIABILITY OF A VIRTUAL REALITY TOOL FOR THE ASSESSMENT OF CONCUSSION

Abstract

Background: Virtual reality (VR) postural control and cognitive testing could be a promising new way to evaluate and manage concussions. VR-based evaluations must be reliable and have psychometric properties equal to or better than traditional assessment tools to be used in a clinical context. Several attempts to use VR have suggested that this technology could be a potential way for assessing and managing sports-related concussions. This project has recently developed an assessment approach using VR which combines head movement, motor function, and dual-task cognitive demand requiring a level of exertion while performing the tasks. This experiment aims to establish test-retest reliability values for a VR-based assessment and determine the Minimal Clinical Important Differences (MCID) by evaluating healthy young adults. This is the first objective of a larger study aiming at adopting a dual-task paradigm in concussed individuals. Methods: A prospective cohort design with n=15 healthy participants (age 27 ± 9.2 years), attended Aspetar Orthopedic Hospital for three sessions (1 – 2 days apart) to perform the developed Admiral test (3 Levels). Test-retest reliability Intra-Class Correlation (ICC) the Minimum Clinically Important Difference (MCID): ICC method (1-ICC). Reliability: ANOVA and Bland-Altman Plots. Results: The test-retest reliability for the dual-task paradigm indicated a high correlation between all measures of the "Total" and "Decrement" variables (ICC = 0.79–0.93), with a non-statistically significance in most of the comparisons (p > 0.05) indicating no difference and no proportional bias (accepting the Ho). The MCID results varied but remained within the 95% Confidence Intervals. Conclusion: The present study provides valuable information for clinicians and researchers who will benefit from such a framework to better understand dual-task performance and track how it changes over time, specifically in concussion patients.

Date of Award	2022
Original language	American English
Awarding Institution	HBKU College of Health & Life Sciences