“Kinect-ing” With Clinicians: A Knowledge Translation Resource to Support Decision Making About Video Game Use in Rehabilitation

Microsoft’s Kinect for Xbox 360 virtual reality (VR) video games are promising rehabilitation options as they involve encouraging, full-body movement practice. However, these games were created for recreational use, which creates difficulties for clinical implementation. Busy clinicians require decision-making support to inform game selection and implementation that addresses individual therapeutic goals. This paper describes the development and preliminary evaluation of a knowledge translation (KT) resource to support clinical decision-making about selection and use of Kinect games in physical therapy. The Knowledge to Action Framework guided the development of the Kinecting with Clinicians (KWic) resource. Five physical therapists with VR and video game expertise analyzed the Kinect Adventure games. A consensus-building method was used to arrive at categories to organize clinically relevant attributes guiding game selection and game play. The process and results of an exploratory usability evaluation of the KWiC resource by clinicians through interviews and focus groups at four clinical sites is described. Subsequent steps in the evaluation and KT process are suggested, including making the KWiC resource web-based and evaluating the utility of the online resource in clinical practice.