IMPROVING THE MOTIVATION AND PARTICIPATION OF ELDERLY PATIENTS IN REHABILITATION PROGRAM THROUGH SOCIAL GAMES

Abstract

Low patient motivation is a common issue in rehabilitation programmes. Interactive games have been increasingly applied to address these issues. Integrating social elements into rehabilitation games may have positive influences on patient's motivation. However, the long-term effect of social games on patient motivation is still unclear. This study aims to incorporate competition in the design and to investigate its effects on patient motivation, participation, and functional improvements.

An interactive gaming board which supports both single-player and two-player competitive gameplay for the training of upper limb functions was developed through an iterative design process. A 12-week three-arm Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT) was conducted to compare the effects between the single-player gameplay, competitive gameplay and a control group on the motivation, exercise duration and functional improvement in a rehabilitation program. This study found that competitive gameplay has significant effects on long-term motivation and interest within the rehabilitation programme.