Using game authoring platforms to develop screen-based simulated functional assessments in persons with executive dysfunction following traumatic brain injury

摘要

The assessment of functional status is a critical component of clinical neuropsychologicalevaluations used for both diagnostic and therapeutic purposes in patients with cognitive braindisorders. There are, however, no widely adopted neuropsychological tests that are bothecologically valid and easily administered in daily clinical practice. This discrepancy is aroadblock to the widespread adoption of functional assessments. In this paper, we propose a novel approach using a serious game authoring platform (eAdventure) for creating screenbasedsimulated functional assessments. We created a naturalistic functional task thatconsisted of preparing a cup of tea (SBS-COT) and applied the assessment in a conveniencesample of eight dyads of therapists/patients with mild executive dysfunction after traumaticbrain injury. We had three main aims. First, we performed a comprehensive review ofexecutive function assessment in activities of daily living. Second, we were interested inmeasuring the feasibility of this technology with respect to staffing, economic and technicalrequirements. Third, a serious game was administered to patients to study the feasibility ofthis technology in the clinical context (pre-screening test). In addition, quantitative(Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) questionnaires) and qualitative (semistructuredinterviews) evaluations were applied to obtain user input. Our results suggest that thestaffing, economic and technical requirements of the SBS-COT are feasible. The outcomes ofthe pre-screening test provide evidence that this technology is useful in the functionalassessment of patients with executive dysfunction. In relation to subjective data, the TAMquestionnaire showed good user acceptability from a professional perspective. Interviewanalyses with professionals and patients showed positive experiences related to the use of theSBS-COT. Our work indicates that the use of these types of authoring platforms could havepositive long-term implications for neuropsychological research, opening the door to morereproducible, cooperative and efficient research by allowing the facilitated production, reuseand sharing of neuropsychological assessment tools.