PRECiS (Patient Reported Evaluation of Cognitive State): psychometric evaluation of a new patient reported outcome measure of the impact of stroke.

Objective: Determine the psychometric properties of PRECiS (Patient Reported Evaluation of Cognitive State): A new patient-centred, patient reported outcome measure for perceived impact of cognitive problems, developed through qualitative work, systematic review and service user consultation.

Design: An observational study exploring acceptability, internal consistency, construct validity, inter-rater reliability and test-retest reliability, with opportunistic qualitative data on sensitivity to change.

Setting: Home visits in the community.

Development of a patient-centred, patient-reported outcome measure (PROM) for post-stroke cognitive rehabilitation: qualitative interviews with stroke survivors to inform design and content.

Background: Improving cognition is service users' top research priority for life after stroke, and future research should include outcomes that they deem important. Patient perspectives on outcomes are collected using patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs). There is currently no patient-centred PROM specific for cognitive rehabilitation trials.

Effectiveness of enhanced communication therapy in the first four months after stroke for aphasia and dysarthria: a randomised controlled trial.

Objective: To assess the effectiveness of enhanced communication therapy in the first four months after stroke compared with an attention control (unstructured social contact).

Design: Externally randomised, pragmatic, parallel, superiority trial with blinded outcome assessment.

Setting: Twelve UK hospital and community stroke services.

VISTA-Rehab: a resource for stroke rehabilitation trials.

Background: Stroke rehabilitation is a complex intervention. Many factors influence the interaction between the patient and the elements of the intervention. Rehabilitation interventions are aimed at altering different domains of patient outcome including body functions, activity and participation.

The treatment of phantom limb pain using immersive virtual reality: three case studies.

Purpose: This paper describes the design and implementation of a case study based investigation using immersive virtual reality as a treatment for phantom limb pain.

Method: Three participants who experienced phantom limb pain (two with an upper-limb amputation, and one with a lower-limb amputation) took part in between 2 and 5 immersive virtual reality (IVR) sessions over a 3-week period. The movements of participants' anatomical limbs were transposed into the movements of a virtual limb, presented in the phenomenal space of their phantom limb.

Immersive virtual reality as a rehabilitative technology for phantom limb experience: a protocol.

This paper describes a study protocol to investigate the use of immersive virtual reality as a treatment for amputees' phantom limb pain. This work builds upon prior research using mirror box therapy to induce vivid sensations of movement originating from the muscles and joints of amputees' phantom limbs. The present project transposes movements of amputees' anatomical limbs into movements of a virtual limb presented in the phenomenal space of their phantom limb.

Can immersive virtual reality reduce phantom limb pain?

This paper describes the design and implementation of a case-study based investigation using immersive virtual reality as a treatment for phantom limb pain. The authors' work builds upon prior research which has found the use of a mirror box (where the amputee sees a mirror image of their remaining anatomical limb in the phenomenal space of their amputated limb) can reduce phantom limb pain and voluntary movement to paralyzed phantom limbs for some amputees. The present project involves the transposition of movements made by amputees' anatomical limb into movements of a virtual limb which is presented in the phenomenal space of their phantom limb.