Abstract
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.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | e21 |
| Journal | Journal of Medical Internet Research |
| Volume | 10 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2008 |
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Keywords
- 3-D virtual worlds
- eHealth
- P-health
- Second Life
- Virtual reality
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Health Informatics
Cite this
A second life for eHealth : Prospects for the use of 3-D virtual worlds in clinical psychology. / Gorini, Alessandra; Gaggioli, Andrea; Vigna, Cinzia; Riva, Giuseppe.
In: Journal of Medical Internet Research, Vol. 10, No. 3, e21, 2008.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - A second life for eHealth
T2 - Prospects for the use of 3-D virtual worlds in clinical psychology
AU - Gorini, Alessandra
AU - Gaggioli, Andrea
AU - Vigna, Cinzia
AU - Riva, Giuseppe
PY - 2008
Y1 - 2008
N2 - 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.
AB - 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.
KW - 3-D virtual worlds
KW - eHealth
KW - P-health
KW - Second Life
KW - Virtual reality
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=52449105351&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=52449105351&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.2196/jmir.1029
DO - 10.2196/jmir.1029
M3 - Article
C2 - 18678557
AN - SCOPUS:52449105351
VL - 10
JO - Journal of Medical Internet Research
JF - Journal of Medical Internet Research
SN - 1439-4456
IS - 3
M1 - e21
ER -