Health Research in Second Life: From Idea to Virtual Reality

Brielle Coronet Medical Librarian

2010 Research Award MLA/Hospital Libraries Section

This research project has been partially funded with Federal funds from the National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, under

Contract No. NO1-LM-6-3501 with New York University

What is Health Literacy?

Health Literacy is about being able to:• Read

• Understand

• Act

The Situation

Why address HL?

Before the IRB Harvest: Planting Seeds

2007

2008

2009

2010+

The IRB Experience

• Idea

• Research

• 1st timers tips

• Solo or team effort?

• Support system

• Realistic Goals

• The IRB application

• Gift of time

After the IRB Green Light:Potential Obstacles

Cartoon…firewall…$

Closed minds (cartoon) IT: firewalls, company policies…can seem like a invisible force field

• Friend your VP/manager/supervisor---they might open shut doors

• Upgraded PC & graphics card

• Huge 22” monitor

• Websense disabled & given free reign to internet access

Cost: Virtual & Real $$ Budget & Funding

• Internal costs (SL): items, textures, scripts

• External costs: webmaster, graphics card, memory

• Time: presentations, publications, promoting

• Personal investment: time, equipment, internet

• Funding: company budget, grants, personal

IRB PROJECT IDEA: Can interactive games in a virtual world (Second Life) improve health literacy?

Heart attack

Stroke

Medical terminology

Breaking Ground

Project Team

Skills

Materials

Tools: scripts, survey links

Networking

Location, location location!

Build it …and they will come? Marketing strategies:

• Professional groups

• Blog

• Twitter

• LinkedIn

• SL events

• Profile pick

• Facebook

• RL Library website

• RL publications

• Presentations (consumer level & professional)

• Awards & Recognition

Lessons Learned Demand more time & attention than you planned Assess needed skills before jumping off the IRB cliff Be prepared: learn & skill build before not after IRB

approval It’s ok to ask for help (inworld & out) Take advantage of work time access Budget: institutions/companies think “everything is

free” on the internet, including SL & may not understand virtual setup costs = real $• Establish a research budget prior to IRB

Preliminary Study Results

> 400 participants (10 months) 36% took survey (SurveyMonkey) Demographics

• Age

• Gender

• Education Key Study Questions

• Learn any new information?

• Will information be useful for future health care decisions?