Feasibility and Acceptability of Virtual Reality for Stroke
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Clinical Validation of Resynk: Feasibility and Acceptability in Stroke rehabilitation from hospital to home
IRAS ID
367364
Contact name
Emma Dunn
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
EXRt Intelligent Healthcare
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 0 months, 0 days
Research summary
This study will explore whether Resynk, a virtual reality (VR) platform, can be used effectively to support upper limb rehabilitation for people recovering from a stroke. Resynk provides interactive, task-based exercises designed to make therapy more engaging and increase the amount of practice patients receive. This therapy is provided via a VR headset under the direction of an Occupational Therapist. Early results from a local quality improvement project showed that Resynk helped patients take part in more therapy and improved motivation.
The research will focus on patients admitted to the acute stroke wards at the Royal Victoria Hospital (RVH) and will follow them through to community-based stroke rehabilitation services in the stroke survivors own home. We will also identify any challenges to using this technology and gather feedback from both stroke survivors and Occupational Therapists to understand what works well and what needs improvement.
Resynk will be used alongside usual rehabilitation care, so there will be no reduction or delay in standard treatment. The study will involve two groups: adult stroke survivors and Occupational Therapists. There will be no control group because the main aim is to test feasibility and user experience rather than compare outcomes.
We will use interviews and questionnaires to explore safety, usability, and acceptability. Stroke survivors will also complete a quality-of-life questionnaire (EQ-5D-5L). In addition, we will collect data on rehabilitation progress using the Resynk system and a standard clinical measure called the Fugl-Meyer Assessment. Information will be gathered before, during, and after using Resynk, and at follow-up.
The findings will help determine whether VR technology like Resynk can be successfully integrated into stroke rehabilitation services and guide future research on its benefits.
REC name
HSC REC B
REC reference
26/NI/0011
Date of REC Opinion
16 Feb 2026
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion