Development of Serious Games for Rehabilitation: a Delphi Study

NCT07460778 | Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: Delphi serious games
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 30
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

This clinical study has been organised to identify the needs and recommendations of experts in the field of rehabilitation technology and gamification on the development of serious games for rehabilitation. Based on the information gathered we aim to construct a blueprint for the development of serious games for rehabilitation that maximizes clinical outcomes and the effective implementation in rehabilitation.

Conditions

Expert Opinion on the Development of Serious Games for Rehabilitation

Keywords

Delphi study; Serious games for rehabilitation; Rehabilitation

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Information on the development process of serious games for rehabilitation

  Throughout the Delphi study, qualitative data will be collected (online surveys, focus group discussions, etc.) from experts in the field of serious games for rehabilitation on what methods and/or tools shoudl be used in the development process of serious games for rehabilitation. This data will be collected for all different stages of the development process. Furthermore, overarching key principles that span across all stages of development will also be identified based on expert opinion.

  Through study completion, on average 1 year

Study Arms (3)

Phase 1

OTHER

The first phase consists of an online survey aimed at identifying important tools and methodologies for each stage of development, as well as across all stages of development. To structure this survey the TRL model will be used as a conceptual framework (appendix 1). The different levels of the model will be used as stages of development to base the questions on. However, the aim is not to strictly adhere to this model, but to gather input on what methods should be used and what can be adjusted from existing models such as the TRL model to maximize adoption of serious games into care. Furthermore, the survey will try to identify key principles that should be taken into account across the entire developmental process of serious games for rehabilitation. These key principles, such as a user-centered approach, working evidence-based, maximizing engagement of end-users, etc., are the foundation for the developmental process and should be adhered to throughout the entire process.

Other: Online survey

Phase 2

OTHER

The second phase consists of focus groups that will be organized to discuss the results of the online survey and add missing data if needed. The focus group discussions will also be structured based on the TRL model used during the survey and will expand on the results mentioned by the experts (appendix 2 and 3). After all focus group discussion are completed the results will be anonymized, aggregated and reported to the experts. This will provide them with the opportunity to further revise their answers based on all the results.

Other: Focus group discussions

Phase 3

OTHER

The third and final phase consists of consecutive online surveys in which the experts are asked to rank the different items that were mentioned in the previous phase on a five-point Likert scale (Appendix 4). Similar to the focus group discussions, the answers from these phases will be anonymized, aggregated and reported to the experts after each ranking phase. Experts will have the opportunity to revise their answers across multiple phases. This ranking process is repeated until consensus is reached for all stages. Consensus will be defined as percentage of agreement and the cut-off will be 75%, as a percentage between 70% and 80% is recommended in Delphi studies.

Other: Ranking results

Interventions

Online survey OTHER

The first phase will consist of an online survey questionnaire aimed at identifying key development methods and tools for each stage of development. The survey will be structured using the Technology Readiness Level model and, by using open questions, experts will be asked to give their input on this model and the important items for each stage of development. Furthermore, the experts will be asked to identify the key principles that they find detrimental to the development of serious games for rehabilitation across all stages of development. Building on the results of this survey, focus group discussions will be organized.

Phase 1

Focus group discussions OTHER

The second phase of the modified Delphi study will consist of online focus group discussions (using Microsoft Teams) with 6 to 12 experts per session. First, a summary will be given of the results from the survey phase. Following this, the experts will be asked to revise and add onto these results for each stage of development. Additionally the experts will be asked to revise the key principles that span across all stages of development and add missing key principles. Lastly they will be asked to identify already existing methodologies or frameworks that incorporate some (or all) of the mentioned tools or methods.

Phase 2

Ranking results OTHER

In the next phase, experts will be asked to rank the different items mentioned during the focus group discussions on a five-point Likert scale through an online survey using Microsoft Forms. For each stage of development, the relevant items will be presented, and the experts will have to rank these items based on their importance (very important to not important at all) for the development of serious games for rehabilitation. The results from this phase will be anonymized and sent to the experts as feedback. Afterwards the experts will have the chance to revise their answers based on this feedback.

Phase 3

Eligibility Criteria

• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Child (0-17), Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Experience with (the development of) serious games for rehabilitation

You may not qualify if:

• No experience with (the development of) serious games for rehabilitation

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Vrije Universiteit Brussel: lead

Study Sites (1)

Vrije Universiteit Brussel

Brussels, 1090, Belgium

RECRUITING

Study Officials

• Eva Swinnen

  Vrije Universiteit Brussel

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Central Study Contacts

Ruben Debeuf

CONTACT

0032 478821658; ruben.debeuf@vub.be

Eva Swinnen

CONTACT

eva.swinnen@vub.be

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: NA
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: HEALTH SERVICES RESEARCH
• Intervention Model: SINGLE GROUP
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Principal investigator

Model Details: This study follows a modified Delphi methodology. Consecutive rounds will be organised, consisting of online surveys and focus group discussions.

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: February 25, 2026
• First Posted: March 10, 2026
• Study Start: March 1, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): August 1, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): September 1, 2026
• Last Updated: March 10, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-03

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

BE (1)