The feasibility of using exergames as a rehabilitation tool: the attitudes, awareness, opinions and experiences of physiotherapists, and older people towards exergames.
Abdullah Tobaigy, Mansour Abdullah Alshehri, Suzanne Timmons and 1 others
PMID 29706705WHAT IT FOUND
Surveyed physiotherapists valued exergames for balance and motivation, but feared falls and poor movement quality.
Older people had often seen exergames, rarely used them, and more than half who answered would try them if suggested.
Key findings
01Physiotherapists rated balance and weight shifting as the exercise domain most suited to exergames, and named increased motivation and variety as leading benefits.
02Falling was the most commonly cited risk, named by 42% of physiotherapists.
03Most older people had seen exergames played by family, but only 8% had tried playing them.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The questionnaires were self-developed over a short time and were not reviewed by enough physiotherapists to make them robust. The sample was small and local: 17 physiotherapists from three Cork hospitals and 27 older people from one hospital. Some participants did not answer every question, and partial responses were included. The study reports attitudes and experiences, not whether exergames improve balance, falls, or rehabilitation outcomes.
Declared interests
No funding and no conflict of interest were declared.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read this as evidence that exergames improve balance or reduce falls. It surveyed 44 people's attitudes and did not test an exergame intervention.