Exploring the potential of personlized health risk communication with VR
Organization:
University of Twente
Section Psychology, Health & Technology
Enschede
Period:
October - December 2023
Background RECENTRE project (4tu.nl/recentre):
There is a great need for a more personalized approach in healthcare and smart monitoring solutions to revolutionize healthcare and relocate care from the clinical to the home setting. In the 4TU RECENTRE project, the focus on empowering patients and citizens to play a leading role in their lifestyle and health within their own environment. By holistic monitoring of vulnerable populations in their home and tailored risk-based recommendations, we relocate care from primary/secondary care and prevent disease development or worsening, resulting in timely intervention, higher quality of life and lower healthcare costs. In the ‘patient engagement’ project branch, needs and wishes of participants (cancer and obesity) regarding non-obtrusive monitoring and tailored intervention technology will be examined. As an innovative way of eHealth needs assessment, participants will experiment with the role of the sensor system for future daily living in an immersive virtual “future home”. The data collected on their experiences in VR will inform the design of sensor technology, risk-based communication and personalized recommendations.
The assignment
We are currently gathering requirements needed for creating the first “future home” experiment. While simulating living in the future home (VR environment), participants will receive information about their health risk and personalized lifestyle recommendations. This assignment focuses on designing appropriate risk communication, to be integrated in the future home experiment. You will first conduct a (nonsystematic) literature study on non-interactive and technology-enabled communication of risk information regarding illness prevention or progression. This will result in a report with recommendations of what the risk communication should consist of (e.g., types of framing, visual presentation etc.). You will then design varying risk communication ‘messages’ based on your findings from the literature. Depending on the timeline and progression, you may then work on programming these messages into a VR environment (e.g., 3D representation of risk information), in collaboration with a VR developer from the BMSLAB. This assignment offers a chance to combine literature review with design research and hands-on experimentation with VR. The assignment offers room for own initiatives and will be a good match for a creative and independent student.
Contact
Judith Austin
Telephone: +31 (0)53 - 489 7024
email: j.austin@utwente.nl