Second Life offers a fascinating dynamic of doctor-patient interaction that has never really been possible until now. Prior to the Internet and its revolutionary technological breakthroughs, this level of interaction was only dreamed of and visualized in Hollywood productions. According to the Second Life website (www.secondlife.com), Second Life is described as “A free 3D virtual world where users can socialize, connect and create using free voice and text chat.” Health care providers and Medical Schools are doing just that and even more.
Second Life has expanded beyond its original target audience of tech enthusiasts and online gamers. According to an article from medcitynews .com (www.medcitynews.com/2010/05/mayo-clinic-explores-the-virtual-world-of-second-life)”Hospitals and medical schools use Second Life to conduct courses, simulate doctor/patient visits, and test innovative designs for emergency rooms and medical clinics.” Instead of building physical hospitals and clinics that costs millions of dollars, health providers can build a virtual, interactive model of they types of health care facilities for free. The famous Mayo Clinic has been using second life for some time now as a way to train and educate its physicians and patients. There were other providers using second life for this purpose before, but Mayo Clinic’s use of Second Life for actual training has lent significant credibility to its existence. There are several other household names in health care using second life in some capacity, UC Davis included!
Second Life has enormous potential to enrich doctor/patients visits and relationships. Those who are tech savvy will be excited to simulate the health care experience. In this technologically advanced society, some would even expect it. Even the general tech user would welcome the benefits of Second Life. If one thinks of the patient of the consumer, why wouldn’t they want to try before they buy? There was a record amount of shopping done this past Cyber Monday. The websites that were most successful in sales offered some method of interaction with the merchandise – photos, videos, user reviews, user discussions, user photos and videos etc. The key here is interaction. Healthcare of course is not the same as shopping for the latest tech gadget, but I believe patients want some level of interaction.
There are some barriers to the use of Second Life for those in the population who are disadvantaged and have a lower income. Second life requires Internet and computer access, which may not be readily available to these populations. This is one area in which I see would a major barrier to the adoption and use of Second Life on a larger scale. Second Life is an amazing and fascinating technology. It will be interesting to observe its evolution and impact on healthcare in the coming years.
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