RCT on Telerehabilitation Efficacy in Parkinson's Disease
Condition: Parkinson Disease
MeSH terms: Parkinson Disease
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      The implementation of regular prolonged, and effective rehabilitation in people with
      Parkinson's disease is essential for ensuring a good quality of life. However, the continuity
      of rehabilitation care may find barriers related to economic, geographic, and social issues.
      In these scenarios, telerehabilitation could be a possible solution to guarantee the
      continuity of care.

      This trial aims to investigate the efficacy of non-immersive virtual reality-based
      telerehabilitation on postural stability in people with Parkinson's disease, compared to
      at-home conventional rehabilitation.
    

Detailed description: 
      Parkinson's Disease (PD) is a chronic degenerative pathology characterized by both motor and
      non-motor symptoms that may have a significant long-term impact on Activities of Daily Living
      (ADL).

      Subjects with PD need continuous, intensive, and tailored rehabilitation in order to improve
      motor function as well as their Quality of Life (QoL), and to reduce the risk of balance
      impairment and falls. Thus, the implementation of regular prolonged, and effective
      rehabilitation in people with PD is essential for ensuring well-being.

      In this scenario, the delivery of rehabilitation services at distance, namely
      TeleRehabilitation (TR), is a possible solution to guarantee the continuity of care and
      physical exercise at home via digital healthcare.

      Although the TR intervention has been proposed as a sustainable and innovative approach in
      people with PD, there are still conflicting results in the literature about its efficacy.

      This study aims to investigate the efficacy of non-immersive VR-based TR on postural
      stability in people with PD, compared to at-home conventional rehabilitation.
    

Intervention name(s): VRRS Tablet (Khymeia s.r.l., Noventa Padovana, Italy); At-home conventional rehabilitation
Intervention type(s): Device; Other
Intervention description(s): The motor exercises were performed using inertial sensors for the acquisition and processing of the movement performed by the patient. The patient was trained to perform these exercises using visual and auditory feedback in a serious game environment. The exercises were aimed at the rehabilitation of balance and at the improvement of motor performance in lower limbs (e.g., maintaining balance on one leg, marching in place, standing on tiptoe, squatting, etc.). The therapists involved in the study customized the protocol of exercises in TR mode according to the characteristics and needs of the subject.; The CG rehabilitation was an active comparator treatment and consisted of a written home-based self-administered booklet with conventional motor activities tailored for each subject. The motor activities were chosen and adapted from a specialized manual. The motor exercises were aimed at the rehabilitation of balance and at the improvement of motor performance in lower limbs (e.g., maintaining balance on one leg, marching in place, standing on tiptoe, squatting, etc).
Other intervention name(s): Structured self-administered exercises
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Parallel Assignment
Intervention model description: This study is a multicentre, single-blind (evaluator), Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT)
Masking: Single (Outcomes Assessor)
Primary purpose: Treatment
Keywords: Telerehabilitation; Parkinson; Balance; Continuity of Care