Acceptability of virtual reality to screen for dementia in older adults

Early detection of dementia and cognitive decline is crucial for effective interventions and overall wellbeing. Although virtual reality (VR) tools offer potential advantages to traditional dementia screening tools, there is a lack of knowledge regarding older adults’ acceptance of VR tools, as well as the predictors and features influencing their adoption. This study aims to (i) explore older adults’ perceptions of the acceptability and usefulness of VR diagnostic tools for dementia, and (ii) identify demographic predictors of adoption and features of VR applications that contribute to future adoption among older adults. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted involving community-dwelling older adults who completed online questionnaires covering demographics, medical history, technology acceptance, previous usage, and perceived usefulness and barriers to VR adoption. Multiple linear regression was employed to assess relationships between sociodemographic factors, prior technology use, perceived ease, usefulness, and intention to adopt VR-based diagnostic tools. Results Older adults (N = 77, Mage = 73.74, SD = 6.4) were predominantly female and born in English-speaking countries. Perceived usefulness of VR applications and educational attainment emerged as significant predictors of the likelihood to use VR applications for dementia screening. Generally, older adults showed acceptance of VR applications for healthcare and dementia screening. Fully immersive applications were preferred, and older adults were mostly willing to share electronic information from screening with their healthcare providers. Conclusions The field of research on VR applications in healthcare is expanding. Understanding the demographic characteristics of populations that stand to benefit from healthcare innovations is critical for promoting adoption of digital health technologies and mitigating its barriers to access.早期识别痴呆与认知衰退，对于开展有效干预及提升整体健康福祉至关重要。尽管虚拟现实（Virtual Reality，VR）工具相较于传统痴呆筛查工具具备潜在优势，但目前学界对老年受试者接受VR工具的情况，以及影响其采纳该工具的预测因素与功能特性仍缺乏足够认知。本研究旨在达成两个目标：（一）探究老年受试者对用于痴呆诊断的VR工具的可接受性与实用性的认知；（二）明确影响老年受试者采纳VR应用的人口统计学预测因素，以及有助于未来采纳该类应用的功能特性。 研究方法：本研究采用横断面研究设计，纳入社区居住的老年受试者作为研究对象，所有受试者均完成了涵盖以下内容的线上问卷：人口统计学信息、病史、技术接受度、既往使用经历，以及对VR采纳的感知实用性与阻碍因素。本研究采用多元线性回归模型，分析社会人口学因素、既往技术使用经历、感知易用性、感知实用性与采纳基于VR的诊断工具的意向之间的关联。 研究结果：本次研究共纳入77名老年受试者，平均年龄为73.74岁，标准差为6.4；受试者以女性为主，且均出生于英语国家。VR应用的感知实用性与受教育程度，是预测老年受试者使用VR工具进行痴呆筛查可能性的重要因素。总体而言，老年受试者对用于医疗保健与痴呆筛查的VR应用持接受态度。受试者更青睐完全沉浸式VR应用，且多数愿意将筛查所得的电子信息分享给其医疗照护提供者。 研究结论：医疗保健领域VR应用的研究正不断拓展。明确可从医疗创新中获益的群体的人口统计学特征，对于推广数字健康技术、消解其使用壁垒至关重要。