Feasibility and usability of a non‐immersive virtual reality tele‐cognitive app in cognitive rehabilitation of patients affected by Parkinson's disease

BACKGROUND: Cognitive impairment is one of the most common non‐motor features of Parkinson's disease (PD). The aim of the present study was to evaluate the feasibility and acceptability/usability of a protocol using a non‐immersive virtual reality tele‐cognitive app, performed remotely in a sample of Italian patients with PD. METHODS: Non‐demented patients with mild PD were included in the study. Patients performed the cognitive rehabilitation in a remote way, at home (three training sessions lasting 20 min/week for 6 weeks) using the NeuroNation app, downloaded for free on the patients' smartphones. The usability and feasibility of the tele‐cognitive rehabilitation program were assessed with the System Usability Scale (SUS) and the Goal Attainment Scaling (GAS). RESULTS: Sixteen patients (9 men and 7 women; mean age 58.4 ± 8.3 years; mean disease duration 4.6 ± 2.1 years) were included in the study. At the end of the study, the mean SUS was 83.4 ± 11.5. The GAS score recorded at the end of the study (65.6 ± 4.2) was significantly higher than at baseline (38.5 ± 2.4; P‐value <0.001). CONCLUSION: In our sample, good feasibility and usability were observed for a 6‐week cognitive rehabilitation protocol based on the non‐immersive virtual reality tele‐cognitive app NeuroNation. Our data support the usefulness of cognitive rehabilitation performed in a remote way in PD patients.