Second Life Virtual Field Trip to MS Help and Support

Stephanie Moore, Noelle Cuzick, Susan Kersey, Krisann Turner

Some of the member advantages of belonging to this group are:
To get help and information and to understand about the disease of MS. There are approximately 100 members in the group we visited. Many of the members prefer the SL support group to real life because the members are spread around the world. There were members there from the UK, Germany, and all over the United States. Depending on the progression of their disease, some members are wheelchair bound and cannot leave the house; the SL group makes it easier for them to communicate with others. When asked what the members would like us as nurses to know, one member replied that, as nurses we need to remember that there is a person behind the condition we are treating. Another member stated that it is hard to find information about resources and services available, and that the RN’s he has interacted with have only been able to provide very basic information. There are approximately 70 groups in SL covering disabilities, disease, and injury. The members of this group are mainly there to provide each other with resources they have found and to share their individual experiences with each other. Several of the members said that it took 12-18 months for them to be diagnosed and that it was usually through an MRI. One member gave us a website that described symptoms of MS. It was mentioned several times that the members are not there to give advice, just relay resources that they have found helpful and to discuss personal issues such as depression and frustrations that they are working through. The members described the biggest challenge with living with MS is that they generally don’t look sick, or look like they are in pain (the pain is excruciating).
This experience has helped us gain better insight into the needs of the members in the following ways: 1) Have compassion for the patient, 2) Be prepared, read up on what it is that ails the patient, and 3) Be able to provide resources for medical as well as psychosocial issues for the patient.
Symptoms website: http://www.oceansweb.com/MS%20symptoms.htm