Analysis on Parameters Influencing Non-Immersive Virtual Reality-Based Tele-Rehabilitation in Parkinson's Disease: an Exploratory Study

This exploratory study analyses parameters influencing a tele-rehabilitation program using the Virtual Reality Rehabilitation System (VRSS) HomeKit for patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). Data from 10 patients with idiopathic PD who completed 20 upper limb motor exercise sessions were analysed to assess correlations between system-generated metrics and clinical outcomes. Patients were clinically assessed with the Fugl-Meyer Assessment (FMA) and the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS). In the experiments, we focused on two macro categories of exercises performed by patients, i.e., reaching and catching, while analysing how correlations among patients' age, clinician-provided Hoehn-Yahr (HY) stage, and VRRS-provided metrics (such as repetitions, mean duration, correct responses, and omission errors) influenced exercise score assessments and other potential outcomes. This study is propaedeutic for advanced ML-based analyses to model patient progress and predict outcomes throughout treatment, laying the foundation for patient-centric precision medicine and the development of tailored remote rehabilitation strategies.