A pilot evaluation of the practicality of the Surrey Virtual Rehabilitation System: perspectives from end-users

The Surrey Virtual Rehabilitation System (SVRS) was developed for clinical use in physiotherapy for children with cerebral palsy (CP). The overall aim of this work was to evaluate the practicality of the SVRS for three simple lower extremity exercises. Two children with CP, two clinical engineering trainees, and a physiotherapist performed the tests whilst parents and a paediatric physiotherapist observed the exercise sessions. The feedback collected during an open-discussion and the descriptive analysis of responses to 15 closed-ended questions suggest that the participants were satisfied with the practicality of the SVRS. Outcome measures derived from data collected during the sessions indicate that the SVRS may provide clinically relevant feedback on the performance of patients for themselves and their treating clinicians. In conclusion, the SVRS appears practical for rehabilitation purposes and is worthy of further evaluation and development