The Multidomain Metaverse Cancer Care Digital Platform: Development and Usability Study.

Area of Science:

• Digital Health
• Medical Education
• Oncology

Background:

• Increasing diversification in cancer treatments necessitates enhanced self-management strategies.
• The metaverse offers a promising digital health solution for overcoming physical limitations in cancer care education and management.
• A need exists for versatile medical metaverse platforms applicable in clinical settings and complementary to existing cancer care models.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop an integrated metaverse cancer care platform named Dr. Meta.
• To evaluate the usability and user experience of the Dr. Meta platform.

Main Methods:

• A multicenter, cross-sectional survey was conducted from November to December 2021.
• Descriptive analysis was used to assess user experiences with Dr. Meta.
• Open-ended questions gathered user suggestions for platform improvement.

Main Results:

• 70 participants (27% male, 73% female) completed the survey.
• 54% of participants were satisfied with Dr. Meta, finding it interesting and immersive (72%).
• While 49% reported no discomfort and 43% experienced no device operation difficulties, over half (72%) believed Dr. Meta could facilitate non-face-to-face services, with 59% wanting future use and 60% recommending it.

Conclusions:

• A multidomain metaverse platform, Dr. Meta, was successfully developed to support non-face-to-face cancer care for both professionals and patients.
• The platform's implementation across multiple regional hospitals demonstrates its potential for effective cancer care delivery.
• Dr. Meta shows promise as an innovative tool in digital health for cancer management and education.