The Virtual World - Another tool to bring doctors and patient together

There are literally hundreds of virtual worlds you can join online. For this blog post we are going to concentrate on the doctor-patient relationship and how Second Life's virtual world can expand upon the real-world relationship. But first, a quick rundown on "Second Life". I am by no means an expert but the class I am taking now has introduced me to SL and I am glad it did. SL is an online application where you can create an avatar and roam freely throughout the "virtual" world. If you purchase land you can create buildings much like you would in real life. It is free to sign up and look around you can check it out at http://secondlife.com/.

I think SL can be used in a number of ways to help expand on the current doctor-patient relationship. However I don't think it could be used in all areas. I think in therapy SL could be a wonderful tool. You can go in to SL and talk to someone while remaining completely anonymous. I have been to therapy before and the hardest part for me was actually getting in the door! I then spent the next 20 minutes in the waiting room hoping I didn't run into anyone I knew in my small town. That doesn't sound ideal does it? If there was an online forum this could have been avoided.

Second life could also be a great tool for physicians that take a more holistic approach to healing. A meditation class could be held on a remote, invite only, island where people could be guided through their issues by their leader. It would be a great place for women wanting a natural childbirth to talk with other women and ask physicians questions about the process. There are so many ways knowledge can be shared!

As you have probably noticed I leaned more towards the non diagnostic of medicine (for lack of a better phrase). This is of course because while anonymity makes people more apt to ask questions they could be embarrassed about in real life, it also means you never really know who you are talking to. Someone saying they have a PHD could just be someone that has dabbled in medicine. I could see someone gullible following advice from someone that isn't a physician and winding up much worse off. That being said, while SL can be and is a good tool for expanding doctor-patient relationships it is just a tool and I do not believe it can replace a real life 1 on 1 appointment with a licensed MD.

Here is a picture of my Avatar in a virtual hallucination clinic for a patient that is schizophrenic

I will be posting more on SL and Healthcare soon stay tuned....