혼합현실(MR)기반 디지털치료제(DTx)로 활용된 재활 콘텐츠 특성 연구 - 작업치료 콘텐츠 대표 사례를 중심으로-

Abstract

(Background and Purpose) Medical services are being digitized as non-face-to-face situations have accelerated owing to the recent COVID-19 pandemic. Technological advances have changed traditional hospital-centered medical methods to digital medical care, making non-face-to-face treatment possible, resulting in the emergence of the concept of digital therapy (DTx). Consequently, various digital medical contents have been created for use as digital treatments; however, case studies on mixed reality (MR)-based digital treatments are still insufficient. Therefore, this study aimed to analyze representative cases of rehabilitation content according to the type of mixed reality media used to study the effects of content treatment. (Method) In this study, the direction of analysis was established through theoretical considerations of related fields, and mixed reality were classified into four media types: virtual reality, augmented reality, augmented virtual reality, and general media. Based on this classification, the therapeutic effects and characteristics of media were studied by substituting the therapeutic effect characteristics of rehabilitation content cases with occupational therapy functions by limiting the scope to occupational therapy cases that perform daily life and show the therapeutic effects. (Results) Work rehabilitation digital therapy using virtual reality (VR) technology improves immersion and brain plasticity. It was found that fall prevention and presence through confirmation of the external environment of augmented reality (AR) and augmented virtuality (AV) have the characteristics of presence and interactivity, whereas general media (mobile) have the characteristics of accessibility and self-efficacy. The results confirmed that content using mixed reality media overcame the spatial constraints of medical facilities and increased participation by inducing self-treatment in patients as they moved repeatedly. In addition, because digital treatments are software based, content can be copied and generated indefinitely. Unlike general drug administration, non-invasive treatment approaches have fewer side effects than drugs, and there are fewer manufacturing difficulties in the development process. (Conclusion) Rehabilitation content used as digital treatment relieves spatial constraints for patients with poor medical access and is highly likely to develop and increase its utilization owing to its high medical utility. Therefore, continuous studies on the clinical therapeutic effects of digital therapeutic content should be conducted. This study suggests that experts in the digital medical industry are the cornerstone of research on the characteristics of rehabilitation content by mixed reality media, enabling a more diversified digital therapy experience and doubling the value of the rehabilitation characteristics provided by mixed reality.