ArticleBMJ open2023
Staff perceptions towards virtual reality-motivated treadmill exercise for care home residents: a qualitative feedback study with key stakeholders and follow-up interview with technology developer.
Article in BMJ open, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
4 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Barriers and Facilitators to Physical Activity Among Older Adults in Residential Aged Care Facilities: A Mixed Methods Systematic Review Using the Social Ecological Model.Journal of aging and health · 2025Pooled it
- Developing Digital Platforms to Help Older Adults Stay Physically and Socially Active: Co-Design Study to Develop a Toolkit and Evaluate Its Impact.JMIR aging · 2026Article
- Barriers and Facilitators to the 3 Sides of Extended Reality-Rehabilitation Adoption: Scoping Review.Journal of medical Internet research · 2026Article
- Digital Technologies That Support Meaningful Connections in Care Homes: Scoping Review.Journal of medical Internet research · 2026Article
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Authors and funding
19 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivesHealth and care resources are under increasing pressure, partly due to the ageing population. Physical activity supports healthy ageing, but motivating exercise is challenging. We aimed to explore staff perceptions towards a virtual reality (VR) omnidirectional treadmill (MOTUS), aimed at increasing physical activity for older adult care home residents.
designInteractive workshops and qualitative evaluation. SETTINGS: Eight interactive workshops were held at six care homes and two university sites across Cornwall, England, from September to November 2021.
participantsForty-four staff participated, including care home, supported living, clinical care and compliance managers, carers, activity coordinators, occupational therapists and physiotherapists.
interventionsParticipants tried the VR treadmill system, followed by focus groups exploring device design, potential usefulness or barriers for care home residents. Focus groups were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim and thematically analysed. We subsequently conducted a follow-up interview with the technology developer (September 2022) to explore the feedback impact.
resultsThe analysis produced seven key themes: anticipated benefits, acceptability, concerns of use, concerns of negative effects, suitability/unsuitability, improvements and current design. Participants were generally positive towards VR to motivate care home residents' physical activity and noted several potential benefits (increased exercise, stimulation, social interaction and rehabilitation). Despite the reported potential, staff had safety concerns for frail older residents due to their standing position. Participants suggested design improvements to enhance safety, usability and accessibility. Feedback to the designers resulted in the development of a new seated VR treadmill to address concerns about falls while maintaining motivation to exercise. The follow-up developer interview identified significant value in academia-industry collaboration.
conclusionThe use of VR-motivated exercise holds the potential to increase exercise, encourage reminiscence and promote meaningful activity for care home residents. Staff concerns resulted in a redesigned seated treadmill for those too frail to use the standing version. This novel study demonstrates the importance of stakeholder feedback in product design.
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