Amputee Perspectives of Virtual Patient Education
Location
DeSantis Room 1053
Format Type
Plenary
Format Type
Paper
Start Date
17-1-2020 8:45 AM
End Date
17-1-2020 9:05 AM
Abstract
Amputees have expressed the need for more information on the recovery path that follows amputation. Inclusion of education in the amputation rehabilitation process empowers amputees to make decisions about their options and form realistic expectations. Virtual worlds are effective as healthcare support communities because they provide both synchronous and asynchrous communication, voice enabled technology, file sharing and more, enhanced by immersion in a visually stimulating and interactive 3-D environment. The objective of this research was to discover how a virtual world could be used to address amputees’ educational needs. A focus group of three lower limb amputees ages ranging from 39 to 82 was convened. Data were analyzed qualitatively using the thematic analysis procedure. Four themes emerged: Challenges amputees face, Getting out and doing things, Becoming empowered, and What’s next for the virtual world. The challenges voiced established an important context, i.e., while we anticipated that amputees would want both education and support in a virtual world environment, we learned that support is not only part of education but that both are empowering. Participation in the virtual world facilitated getting out and about and getting moving. This presentation will use a traditional format to present the background and rationale for the study, research questions, analyses, and findings. In addition, conducting a virtual focus group will be demonstrated in an actual virtual world environment. The challenges and solutions of virtual data collection will be discussed.
Keywords
virtual, support group, amputees, self management
Amputee Perspectives of Virtual Patient Education
DeSantis Room 1053
Amputees have expressed the need for more information on the recovery path that follows amputation. Inclusion of education in the amputation rehabilitation process empowers amputees to make decisions about their options and form realistic expectations. Virtual worlds are effective as healthcare support communities because they provide both synchronous and asynchrous communication, voice enabled technology, file sharing and more, enhanced by immersion in a visually stimulating and interactive 3-D environment. The objective of this research was to discover how a virtual world could be used to address amputees’ educational needs. A focus group of three lower limb amputees ages ranging from 39 to 82 was convened. Data were analyzed qualitatively using the thematic analysis procedure. Four themes emerged: Challenges amputees face, Getting out and doing things, Becoming empowered, and What’s next for the virtual world. The challenges voiced established an important context, i.e., while we anticipated that amputees would want both education and support in a virtual world environment, we learned that support is not only part of education but that both are empowering. Participation in the virtual world facilitated getting out and about and getting moving. This presentation will use a traditional format to present the background and rationale for the study, research questions, analyses, and findings. In addition, conducting a virtual focus group will be demonstrated in an actual virtual world environment. The challenges and solutions of virtual data collection will be discussed.