Feasibility and usability of a virtual reality intervention to enhance men’s awareness of testicular disorders (E-MAT)

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dc.contributor.authorSaab, Mohamad M.
dc.contributor.authorLanders, Margaret
dc.contributor.authorCooke, Eoghan
dc.contributor.authorMurphy, David
dc.contributor.authorHegarty, Josephine
dc.contributor.funderUniversity College Corken
dc.date.accessioned2018-11-23T12:33:54Z
dc.date.available2018-11-23T12:33:54Z
dc.date.issued2018-10-06
dc.date.updated2018-11-23T12:24:15Z
dc.description.abstractTesticular cancer is the most common cancer among men younger than 50, and benign testicular disorders such as torsion and epididymitis can be life-threatening if left untreated. Men’s awareness of testicular disorders is lacking, and their intentions to see help for symptoms of testicular disease are low. This study aimed to describe the development, feasibility, and usability of a virtual reality (VR) intervention designed to enhance men’s awareness of testicular disorders (E-MAT). We designed E-MAT as a three-level VR experience and tested its feasibility and usability with 15 men recruited from a university. Following exposure to the intervention, participants filled a 43-item questionnaire. Participants agreed that the technology was comfortable to use, testicular disorders were well represented, the use of light humor was appropriate, and the scientific facts were easy to understand. Participants also agreed that the intervention was suited for men from different sociodemographic backgrounds and felt confident using VR. Overall, participants perceived the intervention as user-friendly, enjoyable, and aesthetically appealing. To the best of our knowledge, VR has not been used to promote men’s health in the past, let alone increasing their awareness and help seeking for testicular disorders. We recommend testing the effectiveness of E-MAT and making it available on public platforms that men can access at their own leisure. VR can be used in future interventions to educate men about various health topics.en
dc.description.sponsorshipUniversity College Cork (PhD scholarship granted by the School of Nursing and Midwifery)en
dc.description.statusPeer revieweden
dc.description.versionAccepted Versionen
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdfen
dc.identifier.citationSaab, M. M., Landers, M., Cooke, E., Murphy, D. and Hegarty, J. (2018) 'Feasibility and usability of a virtual reality intervention to enhance men’s awareness of testicular disorders (E-MAT)', Virtual Reality, doi: 10.1007/s10055-018-0368-xen
dc.identifier.doi10.1007/s10055-018-0368-x
dc.identifier.endpage10en
dc.identifier.issn1434-9957
dc.identifier.journaltitleVirtual Realityen
dc.identifier.startpage1en
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10468/7140
dc.language.isoenen
dc.publisherSpringeren
dc.relation.urihttps://doi.org/10.1007/s10055-018-0368-x
dc.rights© Springer-Verlag London Ltd., part of Springer Nature 2018. This is a post-peer-review, pre-copyedit version of an article published in Virtual Reality. The final authenticated version is available online at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10055-018-0368-xen
dc.subjectFeasibilityen
dc.subjectHealth promotionen
dc.subjectTesticular canceren
dc.subjectTesticular diseasesen
dc.subjectUsabilityen
dc.subjectVirtual realityen
dc.titleFeasibility and usability of a virtual reality intervention to enhance men’s awareness of testicular disorders (E-MAT)en
dc.typeArticle (peer-reviewed)en
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