@article{sheehy_development_2024,

title = {Development and Initial Testing of an Artificial Intelligence-Based Virtual Reality Companion for People Living with Dementia in Long-Term Care},

author = {L. Sheehy and S. Bouchard and A. Kakkar and R. El Hakim and J. Lhoest and A. Frank},

url = {https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85205071099&doi=10.3390%2fjcm13185574&partnerID=40&md5=844732ff858a0d5feb0a95a54093ad4d},

doi = {10.3390/jcm13185574},

issn = {20770383 (ISSN)},

year  = {2024},

date = {2024-01-01},

journal = {Journal of Clinical Medicine},

volume = {13},

number = {18},

abstract = {Background/Objectives: Feelings of loneliness are common in people living with dementia (PLWD) in long-term care (LTC). The goals of this study were to describe the development of a novel virtual companion for PLWD living in LTC and assess its feasibility and acceptability. Methods: The computer-generated virtual companion, presented using a head-mounted virtual reality display, was developed in two stages. In Stage 1, the virtual companion asked questions designed to encourage conversation and reminiscence. In Stage 2, more powerful artificial intelligence tools allowed the virtual companion to engage users in nuanced discussions on any topic. PLWD in LTC tested the application at each stage to assess feasibility and acceptability. Results: Ten PLWD living in LTC participated in Stage 1 (4 men and 6 women; average 82 years old) and Stage 2 (2 men and 8 women; average 87 years old). Session lengths ranged from 0:00 to 5:30 min in Stage 1 and 0:00 to 53:50 min in Stage 2. Speech recognition issues and a limited repertoire of questions limited acceptance in Stage 1. Enhanced conversational ability in Stage 2 led to intimate and meaningful conversations with many participants. Many users found the head-mounted display heavy. There were no complaints of simulator sickness. The virtual companion was best suited to PLWD who could engage in reciprocal conversation. After Stage 2, response latency was identified as an opportunity for improvement in future versions. Conclusions: Virtual reality and artificial intelligence can be used to create a virtual companion that is acceptable and enjoyable to some PLWD living in LTC. Ongoing innovations in hardware and software will allow future iterations to provide more natural conversational interaction and an enhanced social experience. © 2024 by the authors.},

note = {Publisher: Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI)},

keywords = {aged, article, Artificial intelligence, cognitive decline, cognitive impairment, compassion, conversation, dementia, Elderly, female, human, large language models, long term care, long-term care, major clinical study, male, program acceptability, program feasibility, reaction time, reminiscence, speech discrimination, very elderly, virtual reality},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{savard_efficacy_2021,

title = {Efficacy of a stepped care approach to deliver cognitive-behavioral therapy for insomnia in cancer patients: A noninferiority randomized controlled trial},

author = {J. Savard and H. Ivers and M. -H. Savard and C. M. Morin and A. Caplette-Gingras and S. Bouchard and G. Lacroix},

url = {https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85121217599&doi=10.1093%2fsleep%2fzsab166&partnerID=40&md5=8c3390082d345b725c47465f96bb8e44},

doi = {10.1093/sleep/zsab166},

issn = {01618105 (ISSN)},

year  = {2021},

date = {2021-01-01},

journal = {Sleep},

volume = {44},

number = {11},

abstract = {Study Objectives: Cognitive-behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) is the recommended first-line treatment for cancer-related insomnia, but its accessibility is very limited in routine care. A stepped care approach has been recommended as a cost-effective way to make CBT-I more widely accessible. However, no controlled study has yet been published about the efficacy of this approach. The goal of this noninferiority randomized controlled trial (RCT) was to compare the short and long-term efficacy of a stepped care CBT-I (StepCBT-I) to a standard face-to-face CBT-I (StanCBT-I). Methods: A total of 177 cancer patients were randomized to: (1) StanCBT-I (6 face-to-face CBT-I sessions; n = 59) or (2) StepCBT-I (n = 118). In the StepCBT-I group, patients with less severe insomnia first received a web-based CBT-I (n = 65), while those with more severe insomnia received 6 face-to-face CBT-I sessions (n = 53). In both cases, patients could receive up to three booster sessions of CBT-I if they still had insomnia symptoms following this first step. Results: Results indicated that the Step-CBT-I group showed an Insomnia Severity Index score reduction and a sleep efficiency (on a sleep diary) increase that was not significantly inferior to that of StanCBT-I at all post-treatment time points. Analyses of secondary outcomes indicated significant time effects (ps <. 001) and no significant group-by-time interactions (ps from. 07 to. 91) on other sleep diary parameters, sleep medication use, depression, anxiety, fatigue, and quality of life scores. Conclusion(s): The efficacy of stepped care CBT-I is not inferior to that of a standard face-to-face intervention and is a valuable approach to making this treatment more widely accessible to cancer patients. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01864720 (https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01864720?term=Savard&draw=2&rank=6; Stepped Care Model for the Wider Dissemination of Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy for Insomnia Among Cancer Patients). © 2021 Sleep Research Society 2021. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Sleep Research Society.},

note = {Publisher: Oxford University Press},

keywords = {adult, Anxiety, Anxiety disorder, cancer, cancer diagnosis, cancer patient, cognitive behavioral therapy, Cognitive-behavioral therapy, comparative study, complication, controlled study, cost effectiveness analysis, Depression, disease severity, drug use, European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire Core 30, fatigue, female, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, human, Humans, insomnia, Insomnia Severity Index, long term care, major clinical study, male, malignant neoplasm, Middle Aged, Montreal cognitive assessment, neoplasm, Neoplasms, outcome assessment, procedures, psychotropic agent, quality of life, randomized controlled trial, remission, review, Self Care, short course therapy, sleep, sleep efficiency, Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders, sleep pattern, stepped care, stepped care approach, Structured Clinical Interview for DSM Disorders, therapy effect, treatment outcome, web-based intervention},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}