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HomeONGOINGUsing VR to Address Social Determinants of Health

Using VR to Address Social Determinants of Health

Project Description

It is estimated that up to 70% of variation in health outcomes and higher rates of hospitalizations are attributable to Social Determinants of Health (SDoH), which include factors such as housing, income, employment and education. Although SDoH screening during medical visits had been adopted by many health systems, medical education continues to be focused primarily on identification and treatment of disease at the individual level. Trainees are often under-equipped to address patients’ Health Related Social Needs (HRSN) and are led to believe that SDoH are beyond the scope of clinical practice. It is critical that emerging health care providers understand the impact of SDoH on their patients and have the tools necessary to identify and mitigate these challenges. Social workers (SW), are trained explicitly to address social needs in addition to health conditions, spanning health care delivery settings and the broader community. This pilot project is proposing to assess whether a virtual reality (VR) learning environment can increase medical, physician assistant, and social work students’ confidence in their ability to refer, advocate and ultimately mitigate HRSNs. 

The project team will study whether creating a VR interdisciplinary learning environment in which students can collaboratively grapple with virtual scenarios will both enhance their understanding of SDoH and associated HRSNs, as well as promote their ability to engage in collaborative problem solving with diverse health care professionals.

In The News

View the BU Today coverage (05/20): Real Doctors. Real Social Workers. Virtual Patients.

BU Today VR

The Using VR to Address Social Determinants of Health Incubator project was featured at the Spring 2020 Teaching with XR Faculty Demonstration and Exploration series.

Project Team

Pablo Buitron de la Vega, MS, MSc

Pablo Buitron de la Vega is a primary care provider trained in internal medicine and preventive medicine with a longstanding interest in patients’ attitudes and beliefs about health, health care, and their health-related social needs (HRSN). He provides clinical care to a majority Hispanic patient population, an underserved minority in healthcare. He is Associate Program Director of the Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) Preventative Medicine Residency and an Assistant Professor of Medicine. He is the clinician lead of BMC THRIVE, a program that aims to systematically address patients’ HRSN.

 

Linda Sprague Martinez, Ph.D

Linda Sprague Martinez, Ph.D., is associate professor and chair of the Macro Department at the Boston University School of Social Work. She is interested in examining asset-based strategies to tackle health inequities; as such community engaged research (CEnR) approaches like community based participatory research (CBPR) and youth led participatory action research (YPAR) are central to her work. Having formerly worked in municipal and state governance, and as an adolescent mental health provider, she brings practical expertise in community collaborations designed to engage diverse communities of color and low-income residents in community planning and intervention development. In 2017 she was a Boston Housing Authority, Center for Community Engagement and Civil Rights, Resident Empowerment Coalition, Resident Empowerment Honoree. 

 

Aliza Stern, MMSc, PA-C

Aliza Stern is currently an Instructor of Dermatology and is the director of Didactic Education at the Boston University School of Medicine Physician Assistant Program. She graduated from Lehigh University and the Yale School of Medicine Physician Associate Program. She is a practicing physician assistant for the Department of Dermatology at Boston University School of Medicine and sees patients at DotHouse Health Center.

 

Partners

Immersive Health Group

In collaboration with Boston University Digital Learning & Innovation, the Immersive Health Group (IHG) developed a customized VR simulation training experience using their ContinuumXR platform. IHG’s designers and developers worked closely with leaders from Boston University’s School of Medicine, School of Social Work and Physician Assistant Program, building a unique role-play simulation that enhances a caregiver’s understanding of SDoH and promotes interdisciplinary problem solving.
ContinuumXR creates the most impactful and effective learning experiences for all caregivers, anytime and anywhere. Through design, data and technology we make learning personalized, engaging, adaptive and impact-driven for caregivers. The Immersive Health Group (IHG) is a wholly owned subsidiary of The Glimpse Group.

 

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