Framework for Clinical Decision Making

Mounting evidence points to the benefits of using off-the-shelf video gaming as a therapeutic modality and/or adjunct, across a number of populations, and towards a variety of therapeutic goals.  

Gaming has been shown to offer advantages in engagement and number or repetitions or time on task, over more traditional exercise modalities.  The virtual reality nature of video games incorporates many more  personal, task, and environmental parameters simultaneously than more traditional exercise modes.  

  but

The systems and games are incredibly numerous and rapidly developing – it is very hard to keep up/be familiar with all of them.

  and

For therapeutic benefit, the characteristics of the system/games must match the clients’ functional goals, impairments and activity limitations, and must also not pose risk or interfere with therapy. Therapists must be able to choose and tailor the games to use them most effectively to match and progress all of the therapeutic aspects towards client’s treatment goals.

  so…

We developed a clinical decision making framework for game selection and progression.  

It is based on motor learning and motor control  and therapeutic exercise principles, and provides a framework for selecting and advancing games to match the therapeutic needs of a client, especially when used to address mobility, movement, balance and motor re-learning goals.  

It operates in three realms: Task, Person, and Environment.