CancerSpace: A Simulation-Based Game for Improving Cancer-Screening Rates

  • Authors:
  • Jeff Swarz;Anita Ousley;Adriane Magro;Marie Rienzo;David Burns;A. M. Lindsey;Ben Wilburn;Susan Bolcar

  • Affiliations:
  • US National Cancer Institute;US National Cancer Institute;US National Cancer Institute;US National Cancer Institute;Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education;Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education;Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education;Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education

  • Venue:
  • IEEE Computer Graphics and Applications
  • Year:
  • 2010

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Abstract

Serious games are seeing use in a variety of fields, from the military to corporate management, and are finally being employed in healthcare. One of the biggest, most challenging areas is modeling simulations for medical training, particularly for managing chronic illness and providing system-level population-based care. CancerSpace (Cancer: Simulating Practice and Collaborative Education) is an interactive, Web-based learning application in a game format. CancerSpace, developed by the National Cancer Institute and Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, aims to facilitate cancer screening and consequently increase cancer-screening rates in federally qualified health centers. Our goal is to promote strategies and research-tested interventions that physicians and other healthcare workers can implement to overcome barriers and make cancer screening more efficient and cost-effective. This article reports on the development efforts required to create an e-learning tool designed for practitioners in community health centers. It concludes that the computer graphics and animation community has an important role in helping healthcare researchers design higher-fidelity educational games and simulations for improving the delivery of chronic care to the millions requiring it.