The doctor will see you now… in Second LifeTM. Is this a phrase we will be hearing in the near future? No more traveling to offices, checking in, waiting to be called, and hoping the doctor is running on schedule. I am going to explore the possibilities of the use of Second LifeTM in doctor-patient relationships. Second LifeTM is a virtual world where people can create avatars, or alternate virtual lives, to represent themselves in this online world. The question I’m asking myself is: is this just a game for fun, or can it be productive for real life? And can Second LifeTM be pertinent or relevant to doctor-patient relationships?
Second LifeTM is already being used to gather people for things such as education, seminars, and work. It certainly is amusing, and does have a uniquely interactive quality. In regard to a meeting or presentation, this is certainly efficient because all a person needs to attend is a computer and the internet. He/she can physically be anywhere in real life. These days everyone seems to be so busy. Coordinating schedules can be difficult, not to mention worrying about travel time and traffic.
Although I believe Second LifeTM is efficient in many ways, I don’t believe in the doctor-patient relationship. What about the saying that patients lie to their doctors? Without the whole story, a physician cannot accurately diagnose a patient. A doctor cannot physically see his patient. The doctor communicates with a patient’s avatar. This doesn’t strike me as efficient or effective. Not relevant to this particular relationship. A physician cannot accurately communicate with a patient in a virtual world. If a patient just has a question for a physician and does not need an actual visit, a simple e-mail can do the trick. Now if a physician wants a patient to attend a seminar that is being given on Second LifeTM to learn about his/her diagnoses, then that’s another story. The amount of information that has potential to be spread using this site is pretty amazing.
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