A new article co-authored by Social Work Associate Professor Dr. Rosalba “Rose” Hernandez has been published in Frontiers in Digital Health: Health Technology Implementation.
Translating behavioral interventions into virtual reality: the Transcend Framework for immersive health design introduces using the “Transcend Framework, the Translational Engineering of Behavioral Interventions, into Immersive Contexts for Engagement and Design framework, a systematic model for adapting evidence-based behavioral interventions into VR platforms, illustrated by Joviality™, a positive psychological intervention designed for use during hemodialysis”. The process focuses on understanding the target users, adapting content for VR, designing and building the virtual environment, and continuously improving it based on user feedback. Overall, the goal is to make health interventions more engaging, accessible, and effective, so they can reach more people and better support behavior change.
“At its core, this work is about meeting patients where they are and designing interventions that feel intuitive, engaging, and truly meaningful. When done well, immersive technologies like VR have the potential to not only extend but fundamentally elevate the reach and impact of evidence based care,” Hernandez said.