[Efficacy of interventions with video games consoles in stroke patients: a systematic review]

Rev Neurol. 2018 Jan 16;66(2):49-58.
[Article in Spanish]

Abstract

Introduction: In recent years video games and games consoles have been developed that are potentially useful in rehabilitation, which has led to studies conducted to evaluate the degree of efficacy of these treatments for people following a stroke.

Aim: To analyse the literature available related to the effectiveness of applying video games consoles in the functional recovery of the upper extremities in subjects who have survived a stroke.

Patients and methods: A review of the literature was conducted in the CINHAL, Medline, PEDro, PsycArticles, PsycInfo, Science Direct, Scopus and Web of Science databases, using the query terms 'video game', 'stroke', 'hemiplegia', 'upper extremity' and 'hemiparesis'. After applying the eligibility criteria (clinical trials published between 2007 and 2017, whose participants were adults who had suffered a stroke with involvement of the upper extremity and who used video games), the scientific quality of the selected studies was rated by means of the PEDro scale. Eleven valid clinical trials were obtained for the systematic review.

Results: The studies that were selected, all of which were quantitative, presented different data and the inferential results indicated different levels of significance between control and experimental groups (82%) or between the different types of treatment (18%).

Conclusions: The use of video games consoles is a useful complement for the conventional rehabilitation of the upper extremities of persons who have survived a stroke, since it increases rehabilitation time and enhances the recovery of motor functioning. Nevertheless, homogeneous intervention protocols need to be implemented in order to standardise the intervention.

Title: Eficacia de la intervencion con videoconsolas en pacientes con ictus: revision sistematica.

Introduccion. En los ultimos años se han desarrollado videoconsolas y videojuegos que son potencialmente utiles para la rehabilitacion, lo que ha llevado a valorar el grado de eficacia de estos tratamientos para las personas tras un ictus. Objetivo. Analizar la bibliografia disponible relacionada con la efectividad de la aplicacion de videoconsolas en la recuperacion funcional del miembro superior en sujetos supervivientes a un ictus. Pacientes y metodos. Se ha realizado una busqueda bibliografica en las bases de datos CINHAL, Medline, PEDro, PsycArticles, PsycInfo, Science Direct, Scopus y Web of Science, utilizando como terminos de busqueda 'video game', 'stroke', 'hemiplegia', 'upper extremity' y 'hemiparesis'. Aplicados los criterios de inclusion (ensayos clinicos publicados entre 2007 y 2017, cuyos participantes fueron adultos con ictus con afectacion en la extremidad superior y que utilizaron videojuegos), se valoro la calidad cientifica de los estudios seleccionados mediante la escala PEDro. Se han obtenido 11 ensayos clinicos validos para la revision sistematica. Resultados. Las investigaciones, todas ellas cuantitativas, seleccionadas presentan datos diferentes, y los resultados inferenciales indican distontos niveles de significacion entre los grupos control y experimentales (82%) o entre los diferentes tipos de tratamiento (18%). Conclusiones. El uso de las videoconsolas es un complemento eficaz para la rehabilitacion convencional del miembro superior de personas supervivientes a un ictus al incrementar el tiempo de rehabilitacion y potenciar la recuperacion de la funcion motora. No obstante, se requiere la implantacion de protocolos de intervencion homogeneos con el fin de estandarizar la intervencion.

Publication types

  • Systematic Review

MeSH terms

  • Humans
  • Stroke / therapy*
  • Stroke Rehabilitation / methods*
  • Treatment Outcome
  • Video Games*