An augmented reality approach for ADL support in Alzheimer's disease: a crossover trial.
Nina Rohrbach, Philipp Gulde, Alan Robert Armstrong and 7 others
PMID 31159816WHAT IT FOUND
The augmented reality headset did not improve tea-making success: all patients succeeded without it and three failed with it, a difference not significant.
Average time was 77.14s without it and 111.29s with it, and 60% called it bulky.
Key findings
01Three patients failed to make tea successfully with the AR headset, while all patients succeeded without it; the difference was not statistically significant.
02The average trial duration was 77.14 seconds without the headset and 111.29 seconds with it, a significant difference.
0370% of patients could imagine wearing the headset for 15 to 60 minutes a day, but 60% criticized it as too big, bulky, heavy, or obstructive.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
The study was designed for feasibility and usability, not to prove effectiveness, and the sample was only ten patients, so it cannot support general conclusions about benefit. Patients and researchers could not be blinded, and condition order was pseudo-randomly assigned, which can affect performance and ratings. Only patients who could understand and follow instructions were included, so more severely impaired patients were not represented. The task was tea making only, so results may not transfer to other ADLs. The application was new and had only one familiarization trial, so poor performance may reflect device learning rather than the guidance itself. Qualitative themes came from short interviews coded by one researcher, so they are descriptive.
Declared interests
Funding came from the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (HU) and Zentrum Digitalisierung.Bayern. The supplied text reports no other author conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that the AR headset improves ADL independence: all patients succeeded without it, three failed with it, and task time was significantly longer with it.