Nintendo Wii — now it’s part of rehab!
Health care and technology trends abound… that’s why we keep hearing about things such as electronic health records, Google Health, and Microsoft’s health vault project. But what about using video games to improve patients’ strength and balance as part of rehabilitative therapy? The Wii OT’s blog about ”Wiihab” (OT = Occupational Therapist, Wiihab = Wii + Rehab) discusses the ways that using Wii games such as Mario Kart can actually improve very specific issues for patients, such as problems with coordination and balance.
Is this a trend that we’re going to see more and more of — incorporating video games and more things that seem like “virtual reality” into health care? We’re already using video games to train surgeons, so I suppose it makes perfect sense to use them for patients as well.
Jen, this was a really interesting post! Incorporating video games and virtual reality into rehab therapies could possibly result in a higher rate of adherence to therapy, and hopefully patients can have an easier time seeing their treatment regimen through to the end.
We’ll definitely see more of this, and in my opinion it’s a great idea. I see all sorts of possibilities with the Wii being used in rehab, and also it’s a whole lot of fun!