Virtual Worlds, Collective Responses and Responsibilities in Health

Abstract

Virtual worlds are an exciting area offering opportunities in clinical teaching and interventions. Clinicians and academics alike may approach these emerging opportunities with enthusiasm or scepticism. Attitudes towards applying virtual worlds in clinical practice may arise from a number of sources, facilitating a more or less positive view towards this media. Virtual worlds have the potential to provide a considerable amount of control to the end users, in this case, the client’s, hands. The argument put forth is that we should collectively acknowledge changes in information technology and the power this gives the health care user, but we also have a collective responsibility in ensuring virtual worlds are adapted, tested and studied with sufficient rigour to benefit health care consumers and population needs. Occupational therapists specifically may be in a unique position to adopt the use of virtual worlds in clinical practice.