Versatile, Immersive, Creative and Dynamic Virtual 3-D Healthcare Learning Environments: A Review of the Literature

“The author provides a critical overview of three-dimensional (3-D) virtual worlds and “serious gaming” that are currently being developed and used in healthcare professional education and medicine. The relevance of this e-learning innovation for teaching students and professionals is debatable and variables influencing adoption, such as increased knowledge, self-directed learning, and peer collaboration, by academics, healthcare professionals, and business executives are examined while looking at various Web 2.0/3.0 applications. There is a need for more empirical research in order to unearth the pedagogical outcomes and advantages associated with this e-learning technology. A brief description of Roger’s Diffusion of Innovations Theory and Siemens’ Connectivism Theory for today’s learners is presented as potential underlying pedagogical tenets to support the use of virtual 3-D learning environments in higher education and healthcare.”
Article
Margaret M Hansen, J Med Internet Res 2008;10(3):e26, doi:10.2196/jmir.1051

Parallel universe: Entering an online 3-D world

“In Second Life, a computer world where just about anything goes, several physicians and health care professionals are finding that “anything” can include work that makes real life easier for themselves, their colleagues and their patients.
But in a world void of the laws and protections governing real-life medical professionals, taking advantage of the opportunities a virtual world offers comes with risks.”
Abstract
Pamela Lewis Dolan, Amednews, 8 September 2008

Video Game Helps Young Cancer Patients Take Meds

“Cancer patients stick to their medication regimen thanks to Re-Mission, a specially designed video game that teaches adherence to treatment plans. Re-Mission players control a tiny robot called Roxxi who moves around in a 3-D environment representing the inside of the body of a young cancer patient. Players can use Roxxi to blast cancer cells and control side effects, and winning the game requires taking chemotherapy drugs and antibiotics, using relaxation techniques, eating food, and keeping up with other types of self-care.”
Article
eWeek.com, 7 August 2008

A Second Life for eHealth: Prospects for the Use of 3-D Virtual Worlds in Clinical Psychology

“The aim of the present paper is to describe the role played by three-dimensional (3-D) virtual worlds in eHealth applications, addressing some potential advantages and issues related to the use of this emerging medium in clinical practice. Due to the enormous diffusion of the World Wide Web (WWW), telepsychology, and telehealth in general, have become accepted and validated methods for the treatment of many different health care concerns. The introduction of the Web 2.0 has facilitated the development of new forms of collaborative interaction between multiple users based on 3-D virtual worlds. This paper describes the development and implementation of a form of tailored immersive e-therapy called p-health whose key factor is interreality, that is, the creation of a hybrid augmented experience merging physical and virtual worlds. We suggest that compared with conventional telehealth applications such as emails, chat, and videoconferences, the interaction between real and 3-D virtual worlds may convey greater feelings of presence, facilitate the clinical communication process, positively influence group processes and cohesiveness in group-based therapies, and foster higher levels of interpersonal trust between therapists and patients. However, challenges related to the potentially addictive nature of such virtual worlds and questions related to privacy and personal safety will also be discussed.”
Article
Gorini A, Gaggioli A, Vigna C, Riva G, J Med Internet Res 2008;10(3):e21, doi:10.2196/jmir.1029

Visualizing Electronic Health Records With “Google-Earth for the Body”

“IBM researchers develop 3-D visualization tool for electronic health records.

“As you can see,” the doctor was telling me, “the X-rays don’t show any break.” I nodded in agreement, although I couldn’t tell much of anything from the black-and-white image of my badly swollen and severely hyperextended right wrist, which I’d injured during a softball game. The doctor helpfully explained, as he was taping on a splint, that I obviously had injured a couple of somethings in my wrist with Latin-sounding names, but not to worry, it would just take a few weeks to heal up.
While it may not have changed my diagnosis, at that moment I would have appreciated a nice diagram of the bones, tendons, muscles, and blood vessels of my wrist showing me exactly what I had injured, along with an explanation of all the medical jargon my doctor used. I would have especially liked having a way of understanding what parts of my body were going to be affected before the several surgeries I have experienced.
Well, my wish might be coming true.”
Article
Robert N. Charette, IEEE Spectrum Online, January 2008