Second Life

My Experience In Second Life Through My Avatar, Agnus Peony

I became easily frustrated in exploring Second Life, a virtual reality in which the user creates an avatar to navigate and interact with their surroundings on the intranet.  Frustrations were based on my inability to master the functions of the program but its use was apparent even with my limited experience.  I can see how Second Life would be useful in assisting the doctor-patient, the nurse-patient, or the system-patient relationships.

As a healthcare professional that works with people at pivotal times in their lives when questions of value and worth arise Second Life could be of assistance.  This program could potentially help me, as an oncology nurse, in preparing patients for upcoming treatment experiences.  Like the bioterrorism simulation in Second Life, I could create a module of a Cancer Center where newly diagnosed patients would receive chemotherapy and/or radiation.  Patients could explore the virtual center and become familiar with their surroundings.  It may also be possible to create a radiation room where patients or family members could go through the experience of receiving radiation therapy through their avatars.  Noise, lights, and perspective could be replicated to produce this simulation experience.   

A session could be created within this virtual reality where a nurse could meet with a group of newly diagnosed patients and we could have a support group session.  Although symptoms and side effects of treatment would be difficult to simulate in this kind of experience we could attempt to discuss them in a safe environment.  By providing patients with an avenue to express their fears and questions confidentially we could allow for a better patient experience and potentially better outcomes.

Second Life could provide cancer patients with what they are missing from their own reality.  Avatars can fly and travel.  They can escape the burden of their own bodies and become what they want.  Someone who becomes inactive due to fatigue or pain could run and play in this virtual world.  Body image and appearance is controlled by the user and a patient who has undergone a mastectomy or any other body altering surgery may have a sense of freedom through this virtual being. 

Second Life may seem like science fiction to first time users but because of is wide spread use and popularity we, as healthcare workers, should consider this avenue as a way to connect with our patients.    

Quantity vs. Quality of Life

On October 11, 2010 The Archives of Internal Medicine published an article titled Hospice Use and High-Intensity Care of Men Dying of Prostate Cancer.  Within this article it is described that men with prostate cancer are not enrolling in hospice services and many are only utilizing the service in their last week of life.  This disparity and underuse of an available health service could be linked to a cultural stereotype or to a perception of hospice as one of defeat in the fight against cancer.

The conversation of prognosis is a difficult for many individuals and it is hard to define.  Many families and patients want to know “how long” when given a cancer diagnosis; statistics are the only resource for answering this life-altering question.  In my experience as an Oncology nurse the initial response from a newly diagnosed cancer patient is one of fear followed by the mind-set of war and victory against the disease. 

In conversations about cancer treatment (surgery, chemotherapy, radiation) we as health-care providers often leave out discussions regarding quality of life.  Modern medicine sees quantity of life as the treatment focus, as in how many days on earth.  Quality of life is often overlooked or omitted all together.  The article sited above regarding hospice care is of particular interest because the central focus and mission of hospice care is quality of life, a concept that I have been intrigued with for some time. 

As a new nurse working in Oncology I was scared of conversations of death, dying, and defeat.  I was uneasy when a patient was going through the various stages of grieving and it took time to become comfortable with myself as a health-care provider and to engage and facilitate these conversations.  I had a patient who was diagnosed with stage 3-breast cancer who decided on no treatment.  She and her husband agreed they wanted to spend their final years together traveling the world, seeing new places, and experiencing life together.  They did not want to spend their time in hospitals and doctors offices.  She did not want to cut open her body or loose her femininity by cutting off her breasts.  She wanted quality not quantity of life.

I was blessed to have a patient open my eyes to the idea of quality of life and to invite me into this entire realm of cancer care that I had been so scared of.  Quality of life is often reviewed when treatment is no longer an option.  As a health-care provider I believe that we need to initiate this conversation concurrently throughout treatment.  By assessing and evaluating a person’s quality of life we can better provide care to the individual and not just treat the disease.       

Introduction

Welcome!  

This blog has been created as an assignment for a class that I am currently taking for a Masters degree.  I am an Oncology Certified Nurse, currently working in infusion services and going to school full time.  I am originally from the east coast but have been living in Truckee, California for 5 years.  I chose nursing as a second career after working as an environmental conservationist in the Carolina's.  I am interested in conducting research to provide evidence to support or refute the tradition that currently governs nursing and to help reform the delivery of health care in America.


The goal of this blog is to provide an environment in which I can discuss my ideas about health care and how we use available resources.  Specifically I will be looking at the internet, as required for this course, but I am also interested in how we use community resources in delivery of care.  My passion is in preventative/primary care.  I look forward to experimenting with ideas and receiving feedback from my readers.