Provider Perceptions of Virtual Reality as a Therapeutic Tool

Introduction: Virtual reality (VR) shows significant potential as a healthcare tool, especially in the management of anxiety disorders and pain. However, despite recent studies demonstrating the effectiveness of VR, there continues to be limited use among providers. A lack of resources and understanding of the feasibility of clinical VR use may present a significant barrier for VR implementation. Through studying the perceptions of providers using VR clinically, this study aims to understand the achievability of VR as a standardized therapy. Methods: Researchers distributed an online, self-administered questionnaire to healthcare providers identified on VR application websites. The questionnaire consisted of five sections including respondent demographics, VR value, onboarding, billing, and clinical use. Inclusion criteria was providers in the United States using VR actively or in the past year as a therapeutic tool. Exclusion criteria was providers in other countries or providers who did not have email access. Twenty-two responses were received, and four excluded. Results: The most commonly cited use of VR among providers was acute pain/anxiety (N=11, 61.1%) treatment, followed by specific and social phobia (N=6, 33.3% each). In relation to the onboarding process, the slight majority (N=10, 58.8%) of providers did not find transitioning to VR difficult. Of those who did, cost was the most commonly cited barrier. Most providers (N=15, 88.2%) received training on their VR platform which they found beneficial. Discussion: While VR is a treatment adjunct that is well-received by patients and providers, associated costs may present the largest barrier to implementation

The Computer-based Lecture

Advancing computer technology, cost-containment pressures, and desire to make innovative improvements in medical education argue for moving learning resources to the computer. A reasonable target for such a strategy is the traditional clinical lecture. The purpose of the lecture, the advantages and disadvantages of “live” versus computer-based lectures, and the technical options in computerizing the lecture deserve attention in developing a cost-effective, complementary learning strategy that preserves the teacher-learner relationship. Based on a literature review of the traditional clinical lecture, we build on the strengths of the lecture format and discuss strategies for converting the lecture to a computer-based learning presentation

Regional growth in Mexico under trade liberalization: How important are agglomeration and FDI?

The opening of the Mexican economy in the late 1980s has generated increasing levels of inward foreign direct investment (FDI) as well as substantial changes in the location pattern of economic activity within Mexico. Although these developments have coincided with marked changes in Mexico's regional growth regime, previous research has focused mainly on identifying growth effects from regional endowments of physical and human capital. In this paper, we extend on this research by conducting empirical analysis that centers explicitly on identifying the regional growth effects from agglomeration and FDI. The main findings of our analysis are threefold. First, we find that both agglomeration and FDI have acted as important drivers of regional growth in the last two decades. Second, both phenomena can be linked to the materialization of both positive and negative growth effects. The variety of growth effects that we identify is in line with the locational readjustments of economic activity that have taken place. Third, our estimations also identify clear spatial dimensions to the growth effects from agglomeration and FDI; furthermore, these spatial growth effects represent an important component of the overall spatiality of the regional growth process in Mexico. © 2010 The Author(s)