A Virtual Cancer Support Center in Second Life?

Would Second Life be an enhancement of interaction among patients and clinicians in a serious and long-term illness like breast cancer?  For example, breast cancer patients during that period in which they are making decisions about treatment options are inundated.  This period that starts with either a screening or an initial diagnostic procedure and culminates in the initiation of cancer treatment can be quite short but full of emotional and social upheaval.  A patient and her (and less frequently, his) family members, physicians and nurses are in frequent contact.  There is a tremendous amount of information that flows among them including verbal and written educational materials about treatment options, orientation to the cancer center and other facilities the patient will be attending, information about health insurance and potential disruption in work due to illness (hence potential loss of insurance), family other responsibilities, not to mention multiple in person visits. 

There are several immediate challenges that become barriers to the new user.  Simply creating the avatar is the first and can take many hours.  Learning the navigation and how to get to locations of interest is the second challenge. Third, there are many unknown and possibly creepy avatars roaming throughout the virtual world that may inhibit a new user.  Assume a patient can get over these initial barriers, perhaps with help from a designated cancer center support staffer, would Second Life be any more beneficial than first life?

I think there are several possibilities that would make this a compelling option.  We have seen uses of Second Life as an orientation vehicle like Second Health-Imperial College of London’s hospital and polyclinic and as a patient educational vehicle like HealthInfo Island.  For a patient preparing for cancer treatment, imagine being able to take a virtual tour of the cancer center. This would allow her to know where and how to navigate the physical campus and to meet potential staff in advance of the visit.  This could alleviate the anxiety of arriving at the cancer center for the first time.  The patient could also tend lectures and Q&A sessions with an oncologist, surgeon, nurse educator and other clinicians along with other patients.  These in-world sessions could supplement one-on-one visits and reinforce the vast amounts of information presented to her.  But, the more interesting and engaging possibilities are those such as UC Davis’ own Virtual Hallucinations which provides a full experience from the perspective of a schizophrenic patient.  By engaging multiple senses, movement, sound, vision, simultaneously we feel immersed in the experience.  Imagine here that a patient could attend a virtual support group with other patients or survivors, experience radiation therapy, or the potential side-effects of chemotherapy. This would also be useful for family members, friends and other informal caregivers who need to be aware of the challenges faced by patients, the information they are exposed to, and how best to support their loved ones throughout the process.

A cancer support community created in Second Life could help patients throughout the course of illness, from screening to treatment and into survivorship.  This would require a willingness on the part of the patient to invest the time and energy needed to take full advantage of it. Staff and volunteers would certainly be needed to facilitate patient initiation and involvement.  For a chronic illness like some cancers where the patient is engaged for a long period of their lives, Second Life would be a valuable asset to quality of life.