Dr. Maged Kamel Boulos, the journal’s Associate Editor and professor at the University of Plymouth, UK, summarizes the issue:

Though Second Life has existed since 2002 and there are even other virtual worlds that predate it, most in the health sector are only recently starting to migrate to such platforms, as the technology is gradually maturating and rapidly becoming more affordable and popular. This special issue of JVWR on the theme of ‘3D Virtual Worlds for Health and Healthcare’ provides a good sampler of how healthcare organizations, groups and individuals are currently using virtual worlds…for a range of clinical and health-related purposes. Topics covered in this issue include: the use of virtual worlds in healthcare higher education, including in ‘virtual patients’ game-based learning simulations, with examples from both the UK and the US; the growth and direction of healthcare support groups in virtual worlds; the development of a virtual worlds’ coping skills game to prevent post-hospitalization smoking relapse in tobacco dependent cancer patients; and an examination of how the attitude and appearance of an individual’s avatar might result in positive changes in her/his real life in relation to obesity, which is one of the most serious public health problems of the 21st century.

Though I’m delighted to see so much work being done within academia, I am most excited to see the transition from research to real life application in a field that will surely witness exponential growth in the next several years. It cannot be long until we hear an announcement of a well-funded professional venture that tackles one or more specific healthcare issues using virtual world and other emerging technologies. At a time when our nation is facing a healthcare problem of gargantuan proportions, we need to turn to innovative technologies that can streamline medical care and shed billions of dollars in costs. However, beyond electronic medical records, there hasn’t been much discussion in the mainstream media about emerging healthcare technologies nor any serious and dedicated provisions in Obama’s proposal. The challenge of bridging the gap between cutting-edge academic findings and real-life social policies is one that spans every field, yet if we don’t figure out innovative and cost-effective solutions soon, healthcare costs will become the straw that finally breaks America’s back.

Readers interested in this topic who might have missed it previously, check out Popcha! principal and TurtleThink founder Mark Kizelshteyn’s award-winning research regarding therapeutic uses of virtual worlds for elderly, disabled, and convalescent people [link]. Needless to say we are all very excited for advancements in this field!

[JVWR Vol 2, No 2: 3D Virtual Worlds for Health and Healthcare]
image courtesy of TaranRampersad

As reported by Engadget, Scheduled for an April Launch, the product is to facilitate communication between users and health “agents” to provide health guidance. The service is said to be compatible with Wii Fit and the balance board as well as NEC’s mobile health platform.

Slashdot reports “this service will will be introduced by Panasonic Medical Solutions to health care workers with its Plissimo Sigusa health care plan. What’s more, Panasonic Medical Solutions is offering the program to the country’s health insurance union.”

We are seeing the age of self-directed health care take hold and deeply intertwine itself with technology. The deep knowledge available to patients over the internet and the resulting discussion of health care topics offers user a more comprehensive look into their health then just a simple visit to a physician. More and more people are being given the tools to be in more control over their care and thus be conscious of preventive medicine. Products such as Wii Check Up are in their conceptual infancy. As these products evolve they will allow users to see the impact of day to day activities on projected health goals.

For example, one will enter certain weight and exercise goals into your Wii interface. As you work towards these goals, they will interface (hopefully voluntarily, but that is a different discussion) with your EHR (Electronic Health Records) which will give you a real time look of the ongoing impact of these goals on your detailed medical issues (blood, cholesterol, hypertension et cetera). In turn, your doctor will be able to interface back with your Wii or other tech unit giving your real time feedback and advice. Reality, Fantasy or scary? As larger institutions (such as health care facilities, insurance and pharmaceutical companies) move towards embracing this multi-avenue technology we will see the development of intricate health feedback systems. Unsure how this will develop, but we shall see. What do you think?

[Via: Engadget, Slashdot]

Please feel free to get in touch with Boris (boris [at] popcha dot com) or myself (mark [at] popcha dot com) to discuss virtual health care initiatives.

Thank you again!

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Greetings TurtleThink Readers!

My name is Mark Kizelshteyn (Chronos Laval) and am founder of TurtleThink.com.

I am pleased to announce the publication of my article, Therapy and The Metaverse: Second Life and The Changing Conditions of Therapy For Convalescent and Chronically Ill Users, in Washington University’s Undergraduate Research Digest. Click here for a free copy.

To mark the occasion, on January 22nd at 1 – 2 SLT (PST), I will be doing a brief talk in Second Life on some of the major themes that were illuminated during the research process. And most of all, I would like to meet those of you I don’t know, answer your questions and start a long term dialogue about the immense opportunities in the therapeutic applications of virtual worlds.

The event will be kicked off by John Lester (Pathfinder Linden), who has been working tirelessly with Linden Labs to promote the healthcare applications of Second Life. This event will be hosted by Popcha! at their headquarters. (http://slurl.com/secondlife/Popcha/180/238/32)

Please RSVP by replying to mark @ popcha dot com. Optionally, let us know who you are and what you are up to.

Paper Launch: Therapy and The Metaverse: Second Life and The Changing Conditions of Therapy For Convalescent and Chronically Ill Users.
When: Thursday, January 22, 1 – 2 P.M. SLT
Where: Popcha HQ Sim
SLURL: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Popcha/180/238/32
Link to Article: Click Here

The paper also has an insightful discussion section looking at the relationship between the incubation of virtual worlds and how it parallels that of the web in the 1990s.

Read the paper here.

I would also like to draw your attention to a quote in the research regarding the versatile nature of collaboration in Virtual Worlds. This quote brings up the term “emotional bandwidth,” which I believe to be one of the mantras of the future of virtual worlds technology and health care.

“Because the full-colour, multifaceted nature of the experience offers so much more “emotional bandwidth” than traditional Web sites, e-mail lists and discussion groups, users say the experience can feel astonishingly real. Participants develop close relationships and share intimate details even while, paradoxically, remaining anonymous. Some say they open up in ways they never would in face-to-face encounters in real support groups, therapy sessions, or even with family and close friends in their true lives.”

When you're smiling...the whole world smiles with you

Working off this study they also explored 1700 college students and their connections on Facebook. In addition to verifying that happy people tend to have more friends, more interestingly they found that happiness is contagious; when visualized you can actually see clusters of “happy nodes.” They conclude that emotions are a deeply collective phenomena.

Edge: Social Networks and Happiness