The actual role of VR in healthcare may be difficult to define but healthcare is one of the main users of this technology- not only can it help with skills training and treatment of phobias but also simulated surgery. Pain management — on the other hand — is a general focus, and research shows how virtual reality can help reduce stress and anxiety in patients with acute pain. It is estimated to become a $ 5.1 billion industry by 2025.
From developing new life-saving technologies to training future physicians, virtual reality has a wide range of applications in healthcare and healthcare, from the clinic to the consumer. Below we discuss some ways to use virtual reality to train and support healthcare professionals, change lives, and heal patients.
- Medical training
- Patient treatment
- Medical marketing
- Disease awareness
Medical training
VR in healthcare can transport you inside the human body, enter and see areas that would otherwise be inaccessible. Currently, medical students are studying corpses, which are difficult to catch and (obviously) do not react like living patients. However, in virtual reality, you can see the fine details of any part of the body in an astonishing 360 ° CGI reconstruction and create training scenes that can repeat common surgical procedures.
Medical Realities is one of the first companies to use virtual reality technology to provide high-quality surgical training. They filmed real-life operations with 4K 360 ° video from multiple angles, then combined it with the CGI model of the anatomical structure being operated on to provide an immersive and interactive training experience.
Treatment
Patient Education
The function of seeing inside the human body of VR in healthcare is useful not only for doctors, but also for patients. VR in healthcare virtually creates the 360 ° reconstruction process for the patient’s anatomy and pathology, allowing the patient to be treated according to their own surgical plan. The result shows deepened understanding of the treatment, increasing patient satisfaction.
Robotic Surgery
Robotic surgery is a recent innovation where robotic devices such as AI powered robotic arms are used to perform surgery. A robotic arm controlled by a human surgeon means less risk of surgical complications and faster surgical procedures. The robotic devices are accurate, which means smaller incisions, less blood loss, and faster recovery.
Mental Health & Psychological Therapy
This unique function of VR in healthcare can transport you to other places, thus making a powerful simulation of the situation of psychological difficulties. For example, the therapist no longer needs to accompany the client to crowded shopping malls or high-rise buildings. Click the mouse to think of unrealistic or unreproducible situations (for example, a distressing event that can occur inside a flight causing post-traumatic stress disorder). Now, it is possible to provide such effective on-site guidance for many diseases in the consulting room, rate the difficulty of the simulation and repeat as many times as necessary.
Pain Management & Physical Therapy
VR in healthcare’s healing capabilities aren’t just limited to psychological issues, but have been proved to work for pain management & physical treatment too. A study by the University of Washington Seattle and the UW Harborview Burn Centre showed that full VR immersion for those undergoing physical therapy after a skin graft, acted as a distraction and subsequently reduced pain levels for the patients. VR for physical therapy has also been shown to be effective in speeding up recovery time. Allowing the patient to do their prescribed daily exercises in a virtual environment makes the activity more fun, keeps the patient focused, and helps them keep their spirits up during what can be a long recovery period.
Medical Marketing
Marketing is the most popular setup of VR application in all industries, and it remains an extremely powerful and effective marketing tool. A recently created a VR experience for Bayer AG ( a German pharmaceutical giant) to promote their new product, and GlaxoSmithKline incorporated VR into the core of their “Migraine Experience” campaign. In practice, migraine patients chose migraine symptoms and then gave the virtual reality viewer to their partner who does not have migraine, even if there is no pain, they could experience the migraine first hand. Headphones reproduce some of the effects of migraine headaches, including blind spots, aura, sensitivity to light, severe headaches, and disorientation. GSK conducted this event in cooperation with migraine experts and virtual reality technical experts. GSK also released a version of the app, so anyone can download it at home and test the experience on a smartphone. In result, this led to volumes of new patients reporting their migraine issues at an early stage.
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Disease Awareness
AbbVie, a pharmaceutical research and development company, has created an experience designed to educate healthcare professionals about the daily struggles of Parkinson’s disease patients. This experience was demonstrated at a pharmaceutical industry trade show, where people can put on headphones and experience first-hand the embarrassing moments of contact with others when a patient with Parkinson’s disease navigates a virtual supermarket.
Conclusion
As the pandemic continues, some providers are looking to virtual and augmented reality tools to foster a connection with patients and support more personalized care — especially in scenarios where physical contact must be limited. As patients remain in isolation, meanwhile, healthcare organizations might consider launching — or increasing — VR programs for self-guided rehabilitation exercises and addressing chronic pain, says Adriaan Louw, a co-founder of the International Spine & Pain Institute and an adjunct professor at several schools, including the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
