title: Second Life™: a novel simulation platform for the training of surgical residents.
abstract: A virtual world is a three-dimensional, computer-generated, simulated environment. Human users create "avatars," or virtual projections of themselves, in order to explore this virtual environment and interact with the objects and structures inside it. Second Life™ is one such virtual world accessible freely via the internet, which has been used to construct a virtual hospital complete with reception areas, changing rooms, offices, and hospital wards. Early pioneering studies have demonstrated the advantages of using virtual worlds in the education of surgical residents in a number of ways, from introductions to the clinical environment, initial patient assessment, and managing adverse outcomes, to gaining informed consent, hospital-wide training, and medical device development.
authors.affiliation: Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, PA 19104, USA.
authors.forename: Michael G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Flowers
authors.forename: Rajesh
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Aggarwal
mesh_terms: D003198:Computer Simulation; D006282:Health Personnel / Q000193:education; D006801:Humans; D007396:Internship and Residency; D013514:Surgical Procedures, Operative / Q000193:education*; D014584:User-Computer Interface