In Second Life, users, called residents, can explore an entirely new world. The world is organized by islands, each with its own look and purpose. Residents have the ability to interact with each other, purchase merchandise using Linden Dollars (which converts into actual money), and watch movies, listen to music, and just about anything else a person could do in reality. For example, at my previous job, I helped develop an island that offered streaming video and audio from concerts at the Blue Bird Cafe in Nashville, TN.

Think it’s a waste of time and money to be on Second Life? Think again. To date, there are over 16 million users. There were over 20 million resident transactions last month. There is currently over $21 million (USD) credited to residents accounts.

Imagine the possibilities this opens for the healthcare industry! While there have been some healthcare companies to take advantage of Second Life, the door is still wide open. I’ve quickly thought of four examples of how the healthcare industry could use Second Life:

1. Community Groups

Second Life is the ultimate Social Network. Forget about leaving messages, or requesting connections. Second Life offers the ability to talk – and yes, I mean actually speak – with others instantly. This opens up the possibility for patients with similar conditions to connect with one another, ask each other about treatments, share experiences, etc. and feel like they’re doing so face to face, taking user experience to the next level.

Suppose a doctor wanted to pair patients together who are going through similar experiences, or create a support group of many patients. Since no real names are given in Second Life, this could easily be done securely with anonymity.

2. Pharmacy Convenience

What if pharmacies had an island on Second Life? A doctor could send prescriptions straight from the island. Residents could then come to the island, “pick up” their prescriptions (with some sort of verification process) which would have them mailed to their house, be informed of any side effects and instructions, and pay using Linden Dollars. It may not seem like a big deal to some, but a patient who has severe multiple sclerosis and is unable to walk without the use of crutches, or a pregnant mother on bed-rest would certainly appreciate the convenience.

3. Clinics and Practices

Or what about clinics? Would it be possible for a patient could get a consultation without leaving their house? Perhaps a patient could visit a clinic’s island and chat live with a physician to get a quick consultation. Obviously this could only go so far. A doctor can only do so much without actually seeing the patient, but it could be useful for follow-ups, or pre-registration.

Or perhaps a doctor wanted to conduct a clinical trial. Each patient that has volunteered could gather in Second Life at a specific time with the doctor and discuss the results. Again, all of this is done with anonymity since no real names are given in Second Life.

4. B2B

All of the above examples are B2C, but what about B2B healthcare companies? A B2B healthcare company could always provide information via Second Life, but that can be done on a standard website as well. Why not take it a step further? Second Life is a perfect medium for focus groups, prototyping, internal meetings and training, etc. A company could also give a potential client a semi-real demonstration of how their services work, using real people and real life situations as an example.

Disadvantages

There are obviously disadvantages to Second Life. You lose a bit of that face-to-face connection, there are trashy islands that dilute Second Life’s reputation, and you obviously would have to take extensive security measures, especially for healthcare. But that doesn’t mean that it shouldn’t be explored.