Colon Cancer Awareness for Thomas Jefferson University Hospital

Thomas Jefferson University Hospital is the flagship hospital of Jefferson Health, a multi-state non-profit health system based in Philadelphia. The hospital serves as the teaching hospital for Thomas Jefferson University.

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Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer in the United States, but it is also among the most preventable. Colonoscopies, which can detect early signs of cancer, are the gold standard for colon cancer prevention, yet many adults avoid it.

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To encourage more adults to get regular screenings (i.e. colonoscopies), Thomas Jefferson University created an interactive immersive learning module using CenarioVR that guides patients through the exam process to get them more comfortable with it.

According to the patient survey, 57% of patients found the module to be “extremely helpful,” while 14% found it “very helpful.” 71% of participants also agreed with this statement “I have sufficient knowledge of the colonoscopy procedure,” which is a 19% increase over findings on the pre-survey.  Due to the success of this initiative, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital is now rolling out a similar module for mammograms.