Jun 2 2008
2008 Summer Editorial

Journal of Cybertherapy & Rehabilitation

Summer 2008, Volume 1, Issue 2

 

EDITORIAL

Welcome to the second issue of the Journal of CyberTherapy & Rehabilitation (JCR). This peer-reviewed academic journal continues to explore the uses of advanced technologies for therapy, training, education, prevention, and rehabilitation. JCR is a quarterly published academic journal, which focuses on the rapidly expanding worldwide trend of moving toward technological applications in healthcare. Our main interests include, but are not limited to, psychiatry, psychology, physical medicine and rehabilitation, neurology, occupational therapy, physical therapy, cognitive rehabilitation, neurorehabilitation, oncology, obesity, eating disorders, and autism, among many others.

Advanced technologies such as virtual reality (VR), robotics, non-invasive physiological monitoring, E-health, and adaptive displays are being applied to several areas of healthcare. New areas of research regarding the use of advanced technologies in healthcare are transforming this ever-changing field revealing new discoveries, aiding patients with both mental and physical disorders.

Since the debut of our inaugural issue, JCR has received international attention from peers, international institutions, and international conferences. The JCR is the official journal of the International Association of CyberTherapy & Rehabilitation (IACR) and the official journal of the CyberTherapy Conference series, the fourteenth annual confer- ence will be held in Verbania next June, which has gained interest from European high-level conferences on health- care to Ministers of Health all over the European continent. The IACR has recently collaborated with Med-e-Tel 2009, an international annual telehealth conference that draws an enormous and diverse attendance, after Med-e-Tel’s 2008 addition of telepsychiatry, to bring cybertherapy to another innovative field of healthcare. Both the Association and the Journal have been invited to European conferences on health and wellbeing, which has opened many doors for opportunities through our gained publicity. “Healthcare in Europe needs to change,” remarked Zofija Mazej- Kukovic, Slovenian Minister of Health and currently holding the European Union Presidency, while interviewing for the JCR. “I look forward to working with as many possible partners and organizations in the future.”

This issue of JCR features comprehensive articles by preeminent scholars in the field. This issue’s reviews and studies include some of the most promising applications for technology in therapy and rehabilitation, surveying the concepts and studies that laid the groundwork for the field up to this point. In the previous issue, the focus of the articles were an introduction for those new to the field as well as an expansion of knowledge of those well-estab- lished in their careers with newer applications for technology in healthcare. This issue has many new and innovative expansions on cybertherapy and healthcare in more focused fields. It is exciting to see the JCR evolve into new aspects of the field, moving technology and scientific findings, as well as our journal, into the transforming field of cybertherapy.

In the first paper, Gamberini writes an article on the continual usage of computer games in healthcare. Gamberini et al. focuses their article on proposing a review of existing research on computer games, exploited for prevention, support, training, rehabilitation, and specifically reviewing the relationship between cognitive processes and gaming. The article shows the success and ability to foster motivatation and to enhance cognitive processes.

The second article, by Mülberger et al. focuses virtual reality therapy on treatment for phobias, specifically on patients who suffer from spider phobia. “A Virtual Reality Behavior Avoidance Test (VR-BAT) for the Assessment of Spider Phobia” use virtual environments and spider scenarios for a behavior avoidance test, monitoring subjective anxiety, symptoms, heart rate, skin conductance, and approach behavior in 34 female patients. Their research found a very effective result for physiological assessment of fear.

The next article by Villani and Riva which is entitled, “The Role of Media in Supporting a Stress Management Protocol: An Experimental Study,” focuses on stress management and the sense of presence carried out through virtual environments. This article suggests the importance of the sense of presence as a mediating variable between the experience and the efficacy of the relaxation process, creating new advances in therapeutic approaches.

After that, Alcaniz et al. authored “Low-cost Virtual Motor Rehabilitation for Neurophysical Disability Improvements in Impaired Patients,” which attempts to find a new way of using technology to improve motor rehabilitation to customize exercises for patients. The end result brings promising outcomes, citing increased motivation for patients in the rehabilitation process.

Later is an article using technology and therapy to treat obese patients with emotional eating. “New Technologies and Relaxation: An Explorative Study on Obese Patients with Emotional Eating,” written by Manzoni et al. analyze stress and negative emotions as critical factors in inducing overeating in obese patients using virtual reality. The authors present several examples of the effectiveness of relaxation training using VR for emotional eating.

Hoffman et al., wrote the sixth article, “Pain Control During Wound Care for Combat-Related Burn Injuries Using Custom Articulated Arm Mounted Virtual Reality Goggles,” for the use of pain control for soldiers suffering from various combat-related wounds. The VR goggle system proved to distract and even entertain many patients during wound care, dropping pain from “severe” to “mild.” This article focuses mainly on burn victims using VR as an effec- tive adjunctive nonpharmacologic analgesic for reducing cognitive pain, emotion pain, and sensory components.

Finally, the article “Applying the Technology Acceptance Model to VR with People who are Favorable to its Use,” by Bertrand and Bouchard tests the Technology Acceptance Model as applied to the use of virtual reality in clinical settings. The results reveal that Intention to Use VR is predicted only by Perceived Usefulness, which then indicates how to better document the dissemination of virtual reality among clinicians.

The third issue of JCR will continue to explore the ways in which technology influences and enhances the healthcare of citizens in Europe and throughout the world. We are interested in receiving original research and ideas for future theme issues from our readership. Current topics being considered include non-manual displays, neurophysiology, VR and e-health for special populations including the elderly, pediatrics, and those with disabilities, among others. Please contact us with your interesting manuscripts and ideas for additional topics for the Journal, and thank you for your support of this promising new publication.

 

 

Brenda K. Wiederhold, Ph.D., MBA, BCIA

Editor-in-Chief, Journal of CyberTherapy & Rehabilitation

Virtual Reality Medical Institute

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Mar 3 2008
2008 Spring Editorial

Journal of Cybertherapy & Rehabilitation

Spring 2008, Volume 1, Issue 1

    

                                                                 EDITORIAL

Welcome to the inaugural issue of the Journal of CyberTherapy and Rehabilitation (JCR), a new peer-reviewed academ- ic journal that explores the uses of advanced technologies for therapy, training, education, prevention, and rehabilita- tion. Published quarterly, JCR is unique among academic journals in that it focuses on the rapidly expanding world- wide trend of moving toward technological applications in healthcare. At JCR, our main areas of interest include, but are not limited to, psychiatry, psychology, physical medicine and rehabilitation, neurology, occupational therapy, physical therapy, cognitive rehabilitation, neurorehabilitation, oncology, obesity, eating disorders, and autism, among many others.

An exciting body of research regarding the utilization of advanced technologies in healthcare has emerged over the past decade, revealing the continuous advances and discoveries made by over 450 investigators to help patients with both mental and physical disorders. Advanced technologies—such as virtual reality (VR), robotics, non-invasive phys- iological monitoring, E-health, and adaptive displays—are now being applied to several areas of healthcare.

This premiere issue of JCR features comprehensive review articles by preeminent scholars in the field. These reviews cover some of the most promising applications for technology in therapy, and rehabilitation, surveying the concepts and studies that laid the groundwork for the field up to this point. It is my hope that this collection of papers will not only act as an introduction for those new to the field, but will also expand the knowledge of those well-established in their careers with newer applications for technology in healthcare. This set of articles is a repository for many of the most vital findings in CyberTherapy and Rehabilitation to date.

The first paper, by Professor Giuseppe Riva from Italy, focuses on using virtual reality (VR) as an embodied technol- ogy for managing body image. Many eating disorders (e.g. Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia, Binge Eating Disorder) are associated with a distorted body image. Because of its immersive tendencies, VR is an effective tool for altering and adjusting body image in individuals with these disorders. In addition, VR can be used for nutrition education and train- ing for those with obesity.

The second paper, “Virtual Reality for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Stress Inoculation Training,” features ways in which VR and other advanced technologies can be used to help prevent and treat stress-related reactions in sol- diers and the civilian population. Traumatic events such as motor vehicle accidents, assault, combat, or other threats to life can sometimes cause symptoms that interfere with daily life. VR exposure therapy has shown promise in alle- viating these symptoms, restoring healthy function to those affected. It has also been shown to help train individuals to deal with stressors prior to exposure.

Next is an article on using video games for therapy and rehabilitation of the elderly by Professor Luciano Gamberini of Italy. This paper offers an overview of recent game-based applications used to improve elderly people’s cognitive abilities and to treat psychological problems accompanying illnesses and social isolation. The authors present several examples of videogames adopted within training programs for elderly people, which have been tested through scien- tific procedures.

Pioggia and colleagues discuss the possible uses of robot-human interactions for the treatment and training of people with Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) in their article. Since individuals with ASDs have impairments in process- ing of social and emotional information, it has been suggested that robotic dolls, mobile robots and humanoids can act as social mediators to teach those with ASDs social interaction skills. It is proposed that ASD patients are better able to focus on and imitate human behavior with training from a biomimetic android.

Later in the issue Cameirão and colleagues present a review of the use of VR for cognitive neurorehabilitation following stroke. VR has revealed itself to be a beneficial tool in the diagnosis, monitoring, and recovery of motor and cognitive skills. This paper reviews cutting-edge VR applications for restoring function to the upper extremities after stroke.

Our colleagues from Canada, Côté and Bouchard, cover the history of VR use for treatment of specific phobias in their paper. They examine 39 studies on the treatment of specific phobias including acrophobia, aviophobia, claus- trophobia, arachnophobia and fear of driving. In their paper these experts provide a critical analysis of research up to this point, and propose future directions for this original application of VR.

Professor Cristina Botella’s team from Spain examines VR applications for both the treatment of chronic pain and dis- traction from acute pain generated by medical procedures or other stimuli. Many medical procedures produce acute pain, and often medication is not sufficient to counteract the distress patients experience. However, in many cases VR has been found to be an effective distracter from pain during medical treatment. The authors also address the new concept of using these advanced techniques for treating chronic pain.

And finally, Professor Sun I. Kim and fellow researchers from Hanyang University in Seoul, Korea evaluate the use of VR for patients with schizophrenia, a brain disorder that is characterized by disturbances in general cognition, such as abnormal expressions of emotion and ways of thinking, mental derangement, regression from reality, strange lan- guage or behavior, and delusion or illusion. Because VR is a medium that can present social and emotional situations via realistic human-computer interactions, it can be used for traditional forms of therapy, with the added advantage of being able to provide objective measurements.

The second issue of JCR will continue to explore the ways in which technology influences and enhances the health- care of citizens in Europe and throughout the world. We are interested in receiving original research and ideas for future theme issues from our readership. Current topics being considered include technology for the elderly, for those with disabilities, and other specialized populations. Please contact us with your interesting manuscripts and ideas for additional topics for the Journal. Thank you for your support of this promising new publication.

 

 

Brenda K. Wiederhold, Ph.D., MBA, BCIA

Editor-in-Chief, Journal of CyberTherapy & Rehabilitation

Virtual Reality Medical Institute

Brussels, Belgium

Brenda Wiederhold 0 Comments
Apr 17 2003
Driving Along a Virtual Road to Recovery

By Abby Ellin

STEPHANIE WALL is from California, so driving is practically part of her DNA. It was a given that one day she would slide behind the wheel and zoom off; that’s what everybody did.

But in August 1999, just two days before she started college, a teenager plowed into her sport utility vehicle on a freeway in Denver. Ms. Wall ended up in intensive care. Her father, a passenger, was killed.

She wanted no more to do with driving, but she knew she would have to get back on the road. ”I didn’t want to freak out and get into another accident,” said Ms. Wall, now 21. A psychologist referred her to Brenda K. Wiederhold, a clinical psychologist and the executive director of the Virtual Reality Medical Center in San Diego, where Ms. Wall lives.

With virtual reality, ”you can have an accident and not get hurt,” Dr. Wiederhold said. ”People who are afraid of the freeway say, ‘Oh my God, this is dangerous.’ I get them to stop the thought and think instead, ‘Oh, I’m sweating and in control.”’

Over the last decade, psychologists have been using virtual-reality therapy — computerized simulation of the feared situation — to treat such phobias and anxieties as fear of heights, public speaking, spiders, flying, even combat. But Dr. Wiederhold is one of the first to use it for people who are afraid of driving.

For full article, click here.

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