scholarly journals From virtual to real healing: a critical overview of the therapeutic use of virtual reality to cope with mourning

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Silvia Francesca Maria Pizzoli ◽  
Dario Monzani ◽  
Laura Vergani ◽  
Virginia Sanchini ◽  
Ketti Mazzocco
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Side Effects ◽  
Virtual Environments ◽  
Therapeutic Use ◽  
Health Care Needs ◽  
Care Needs ◽  
South Korean ◽  
Critical Overview

AbstractIn recent years, virtual reality (VR) has been effectively employed in several settings, ranging from health care needs to leisure and gaming activities. A new application of virtual stimuli appeared in social media: in the documentary ‘I met you’ from the South-Korean Munhwa Broadcasting, a mother made the experience of interacting with the avatar of the seven-year-old daughter, who died four years before. We think that this new application of virtual stimuli should open a debate on its possible implications: it represents contents related to grief, a dramatic and yet natural experience, that can have deep psychological impacts on fragile subjects put in virtual environments. In the present work, possible side-effects, as well as hypothetical therapeutical application of VR for the treatment of mourning, are discussed.

Social media and peer-to-peer support for individuals with health care needs and their caregivers: a scoping review (Preprint)

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katherine Kelly ◽  
Shelley Doucet ◽  
Alison Luke ◽  
Rima Azar ◽  
William Montelpare
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Peer Support ◽  
Scoping Review ◽  
Emotional Support ◽  
Peer To Peer ◽  
Health Care Needs ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Care Needs ◽  
The Many

BACKGROUND Individuals with health care needs and their caregivers require substantial informational and emotional support. Providing this support is a major challenge for care providers, who are often not able to adequately address barriers and may not be aware of available services and programs. Online P2P support offers an accessible and inexpensive source of support; however, the breadth of these supports on social media has not been previously documented. OBJECTIVE This study was a scoping review of research examining the use of peer-to-peer support on social media by individuals with health care needs and their caregivers. METHODS This review used the PRISMA-SR method to search for articles from 1997 to 2019. RESULTS A total of 94 articles were included. Patients and caregivers use many social media websites for P2P interaction, including: Facebook (n = 19), Twitter (n = 7), and YouTube (n = 6). Providing and receiving informational and emotional support were important uses of social media for P2P support; however, the specific needs and experiences of patients and caregivers appeared to change as knowledge regarding the condition(s) improved. Despite the many benefits associated with participating in online P2P groups, concerns related to ethics, privacy, and the potential to spread misinformation are outlined as risks associated with its use. CONCLUSIONS This study revealed that patients and caregivers engage in P2P support on social media to receive informational and emotional support from peers, despite known risks and limitations. Social networking websites were revealed to be particularly suited for P2P support communication.

Health care needs of patients with rare diseases

2004 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. M. A. van Nispen ◽  
P. M. Rijken ◽  
M. J. W. M. Heijmans
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Rare Diseases ◽  
Health Care Needs ◽  
Care Needs
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