V-Mart, a Virtual Reality Grocery Store: A Focus Group Study of a Promising Intervention for Mild Traumatic Brain Injury and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

Objective This study examined the potential usability, relevance, and acceptability of V-Mart, a virtual reality grocery store as an assessment and intervention tool for veterans with mild traumatic brain injury. Design Six focus groups were conducted for a 2-yr period to assess perceptions from the following three key stakeholders: therapists, veterans with neither mild traumatic brain injury nor posttraumatic stress disorder, and veterans with mild traumatic brain injury with or without posttraumatic stress disorder (mild traumatic brain injury/posttraumatic stress disorder). The System Usability Scale was applied as an objective measure of usability. Transcripts from the six focus groups were subjected to thematic analyses using the constant, comparative method. Results The focus groups indicated that V-Mart was perceived as highly usable, relevant, and acceptable. Early technical problems were resolved satisfactorily. Therapists indicated that they would use an application such as V-Mart if it were available. The veterans with neither mild traumatic brain injury nor posttraumatic stress disorder felt that it was realistic and likely to be useful, as did the veterans with mild traumatic brain injury/posttraumatic stress disorder. The System Usability Scale mean follow-up scores ranged from 71.4 to 86.0, surpassing the threshold for acceptable usability in health care settings. Conclusions Focus group and System Usability Scale data indicate that the V-Mart has great potential as an assessment tool and intervention for veterans with mild traumatic brain injury/posttraumatic stress disorder. Further development and clinical trials are warranted.

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