Telehealth delivery of an immersive virtual reality therapy tool for communication rehabilitation: A feasibility study

The overarching aim of this study is to develop and trial a new and innovative speech pathology service model whereby patients with communication disorders can access their therapy using a virtual reality (VR) tool via telehealth. This project will undertake a mixed-methods design incorporating two phases. An innovative model of care will be developed and tested for delivery of the VR Communication Café tool remotely to the patient via telehealth.The model will be initially tested in a simulated clinic at RBWH (Phase 1) before transitioning to the community-based model, where the speech pathologists will deliver communication therapy using the VR Communication Café directly to the patient at home (Phase 2). It is expected that the outcomes of this study will inform the future development of VR for improving the management of adult acquired communication disorders and the application of VR within a telehealth model of care. The results of this study will likely benefit the wider community of health professionals wishing to implement VR in their own area of practice.