Visuospatial Neglect (VSN) affects spatial awareness, leading to functional and motor challenges. This study explores virtual reality (VR) as a potential complementary tool for VSN rehabilitation, offering a novel environment that intends to support therapy outcomes. Specifically, we aim to explore the initial experiences of patients and physiotherapists engaging with the protocol. VSN occurs in approximately 30% of stroke survivors, often presenting as inattention to one side of space. While conventional therapies rely on repetitive motor tasks, VR has emerged as a promising alternative for targeted and patient-centered rehabilitation. However, evidence on the integration of audio-visual cues in VR for VSN is limited. A preliminary VR task integrating audio-visual cues was co-designed with two physiotherapists. The task was then tested with two VSN patients over 12 sessions. Preliminary findings suggest potential benefits in patient experience, with one patient reporting increased confidence in mobility. However, outcomes varied, and the results are exploratory.

翻译：视觉空间忽视（VSN）影响空间感知能力，导致功能和运动障碍。本研究探索虚拟现实（VR）作为VSN康复的潜在辅助工具，旨在提供一个旨在支持治疗结果的新型环境。具体而言，我们旨在探索患者和物理治疗师参与该方案的初步体验。VSN大约发生在30%的脑卒中幸存者中，通常表现为对一侧空间的忽视。虽然传统疗法依赖于重复性运动任务，但VR已成为一种针对性强且以患者为中心的康复治疗的有前景的替代方案。然而，关于在VR中整合视听线索用于VSN的证据有限。我们与两位物理治疗师共同设计了一项整合视听线索的初步VR任务。随后，该任务由两名VSN患者在12个疗程中进行了测试。初步结果表明其在患者体验方面具有潜在益处，其中一名患者报告其移动信心有所增强。然而，结果存在差异，且本研究结论为探索性的。