Patient Attitudes Toward Virtual Reality Telerehabilitation After Subacute Stroke: A Follow-up Study

Background: Virtual reality (VR) rehabilitation demonstrates high patient satisfaction in hospital settings, yet implementation in home-based telerehabilitation remains unexplored. Understanding patient attitudes toward VR telerehabilitation is crucial for developing feasible post-discharge rehabilitation programs. Objective: To assess patient attitudes toward actual VR telerehabilitation implementation following positive hospital-based VR rehabilitation experience in subacute stroke patients. Methods: A telephone-based follow-up study was conducted among patients who previously participated in VR rehabilitation during subacute stroke hospitalization at University Hospital Ostrava. Participants completed a structured interview assessing overall VR rehabilitation satisfaction, interest in home-based VR telerehabilitation with actual equipment provision, confidence in remote physiotherapist supervision, family support availability, perceived barriers, and open-ended feedback. Non-response bias was assessed through baseline characteristics comparison and sensitivity analyses. Results: Ten patients from the original cohort of 19 participants completed telephone interviews (response rate 52.6%). High satisfaction with hospital-based VR rehabilitation was reported by 90% of participants. Interest in home-based VR telerehabilitation was expressed by 70% of patients (95% CI: 41.6%-98.4%), with 50% (95% CI: 19.0%-81.0%) reporting confidence in remote physiotherapist supervision. Family support was available for 80% of participants (95% CI: 55.2%-100%). Sensitivity analysis suggests true population interest ranges from 36.8% to 84.2%, with baseline-weighted estimate of 57.9%. Conclusions: Patient attitudes toward VR telerehabilitation were generally positive, with 70% expressing interest despite moderate confidence in remote supervision. Sensitivity analyses indicate realistic population acceptance rates of 40-60%. These results provide important insights for developing post-discharge VR rehabilitation programs and suggest careful patient selection strategies are needed for successful implementation.