In Perpignan, a space created in the metaverse for diabetic patients

This is one of the solutions proposed by the Perpignan hospital to simplify the patient journey: setting up a virtual space within the metaverse, called Diabetes 66. By metaverse, understanding a shared virtual world accessible via 3D glasses or on a computer. An online medical house, therefore, in which people with diabetes can read explanatory videos on their pathology or exchange with the avatars of other patients, themselves connected live.

“Our expectation is to create a digital house of diabetes but which does not replace the physical hospital. It is a complement, which comes to unclog the current problems of our establishment such as the problems of access to care “, explains a nurse. An initiative that gives patients the opportunity to talk about their pathology while being anonymous. “We have an avatar that we call, we are unknown so we can dialogue, get out our problem, we will not guess in the street that it is you”says Emeline, a diabetic patient.

The virtual world appears to be a privileged transmission and mediation channel, as confirmed by a patient who received training to intervene as an expert with other diabetics: “I will be able to talk about all this starting from the problems that arise concretely on a daily basis, this can open up different perspectives for those concerned”he explains.

With this first step into the metaverse, the Perpignan hospital center also wishes to raise awareness among young people. “There is a hospital phobia that affects people. I find that this device allows you to chat with other diabetic people, 16 or 18 years old”, says a young diabetic patient. In this 3D digital house, only virtual consultation with a practitioner remains impossible for the moment, due to the confidentiality of patient medical data.