Development of a Virtual Reality System for Early Mobilization of Critically Ill Patients

Abstract

More and more researchers have recommended critically ill patients to start mobilization as early as possible. However, the clinical utilization rate of early mobilization remains low for patients in the intensive care units (ICU) because of various factors. In order to promote the rehabilitation of critically ill patients, a multidisciplinary research team, including academic researchers, ICU head nurses, respiratory therapists, and a software engineer, has developed a virtual reality system for early mobilization in ICU. This system has four main features-the diverse forms of mobilization based on muscle strength, the integration of exercise and cognitive training, the visualization of the mobilization process and the record of the trajectory during mobilization exercises. This paper presents and discusses the development process of this system.