Using the Virtual Reality World of Second Life to Promote Patient Engagement.

Area of Science:

• Digital Health
• eHealth
• Virtual Reality in Healthcare

Background:

• Traditionally, patients were passive in healthcare.
• A shift towards outcomes-driven care necessitates active patient involvement and goal setting.
• eHealth and mobile health applications increasingly demand patient participation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the development of a Second Life environment for eHealth.
• To explore the use of virtual reality for nurse practitioner-driven care.
• To assess Second Life as a platform for patient engagement and education.

Main Methods:

• Development of a virtual reality environment within Second Life.
• Integration with a patient portal and electronic health record.
• Utilizing Second Life for synchronous healthcare visits and asynchronous resource access.
• Employing Second Life for consumer health students to explore support groups and resources.

Main Results:

• A functional Second Life environment was created to support nurse practitioner-led care.
• The platform facilitated patient participation through avatars in virtual healthcare settings.
• Students gained exposure to online patient support and engagement resources.

Conclusions:

• Virtual reality platforms like Second Life can enhance patient engagement in healthcare.
• This approach supports collaborative goal setting between patients and providers.
• Second Life offers a novel eHealth solution for healthcare delivery and education.