Virtual Reality Gaming in Occupational Rehabilitation - User Experiences and Perceptions.

Background: In Norway, individuals who struggle to participate in the workforce can take part in rehabilitation programmes to improve their work ability. The goal is to return to work by working with cognitive, physical, and environmental processes. Virtual Reality (VR) technology has become a popular and common tool in many healthcare and rehabilitation services but has not yet been systematically applied in occupational rehabilitation.

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the experiences of participants who engaged in a game-based, immersive VR activity as part of an occupational rehabilitation program.

Material and methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with individuals on long-term sick leave. In total, 12 women and three men (median age 45 years) from three rehabilitation centres (five individuals from each centre) were interviewed before and after discharge from the inpatient stay. The transcripts were analysed using Systematic Text Condensation.

Results: When analysing the data material, four themes were consistent. The first and the second theme contained information about how the VR headset and the game influenced the participants. The headset forced them to pay full attention and gave a feeling of protection from external stimuli. The game brought joy, energy, and endurance with its music and rhythm. The third and fourth themes provided information about how the gaming activity influenced the participants. They experienced that it provided a free space and symptom relief. In addition, they got carried away, broke barriers, and challenged themselves.

Conclusion: The study results indicated that a gamified VR activity in occupational rehabilitation may be a new and powerful experience, substantially different from other rehabilitation modalities. VR training can facilitate a here-and-now feeling distracted from the outside world. More knowledge is needed on possible synergies between VR and other components of occupational rehabilitation and on how it may influence return to work for individuals on long-term sick leave.