There have been a lot of talks and discussions about the use of VR in the healthcare industry, with numerous applications of virtual reality already being implemented in healthcare. Applications such as robotic surgery, healthcare devices, etc. are slowly gaining popularity and are now more likely to be adopted by various healthcare organizations and accepted by the people. In this article we have talked about virtual reality and its applications in healthcare. Although VR has revolutionized the gaming industry, it is not restricted to a particular field any more. Different industries are developing newer methods and processes to make use of the latest technologies to improve their processes.
Key applications of virtual reality in healthcare
1. Medical Education –Medical education is changing. Simulation is increasingly becoming a cornerstone of clinical training and, though effective, is resource intensive. With increasing pressures on budgets and standardization, virtual reality (VR) is emerging as a new method of delivering simulation. VR offers benefits for learners and educators, delivering cost-effective, repeatable, standardized clinical training on demand. A large body of evidence supports VR simulation in all industries, including healthcare. Though VR is not a panacea, it is a powerful educational tool for defined learning objectives and implementation is growing worldwide.
2. Virtual Reality in Diagnostics – In this paper we present a number of the immersive VR applications that we have developed during the past 18 months as a means of practically demonstrating the modelling approaches previously reported. The paper discusses the usefulness of the different approaches in assisting medical practitioners to diagnose and track conditions which might lead to impairment or disability, and how they can be used to train medical students to recognise such conditions or to undertake associated medical procedures. Initial findings of a survey of undertaken with medical practitioners as to the effectiveness of VR and in particular immersive models as diagnostic and training aids are also presented.
3. Mental Illness Treatment – This use of VR to test and tweak the brain is still very new. The evidence so far is strongly in favour, though, with recent research suggesting psych-focused VR will live up to the hype. Riding a wave of interest in mental health tech, companies creating VR content for therapeutic outcomes are receiving a deluge of attention and funding. Today’s VR content is primarily designed to aid exposure therapy, a treatment for anxiety disorders in which patients are exposed to anxiety-inducing stimuli in a safe, controlled environment, eventually learning that the “threats” they’re worried about are not actually very dangerous.
4. Pain Management – Virtual reality (VR) has been used to manage pain and distress associated with a wide variety of known painful medical procedures. In clinical settings and experimental studies, participants immersed in VR experience reduced levels of pain, general distress/unpleasantness and report a desire to use VR again during painful medical procedures. Investigators hypothesize that VR acts as a non-pharmacologic form of analgesia by exerting an array of emotional affective, emotion-based cognitive and attentional processes on the body’s intricate pain modulation system.
5. Physical Fitness – New Technologies Are Taking the Fitness World by Storm. Virtual reality platforms—where a person’s environment is completely replaced by a digital one are still barely scratching the surface of the fitness world. Fitness applications are more supplemental than they are a primary form of exercise, but the novelty can do a lot to break up a monotonous workout routine.” The idea being that you can be transported to a beautiful location like the Swiss Alps for your next stationary bike ride, rather than having to stare at the sweaty back of a fellow gym-goer.
6. Virtual Reality in Surgery- The virtual reality system is helping train residents, assist surgeons in planning upcoming operations and educate patients. It also helps surgeons in the operating room, guiding them in a three-dimensional space. An order for VR surgical simulation to be accepted by the notoriously conservative world of health care, solid research must demonstrate that it improves surgical skills. Such studies are underway.
7. Human Simulation Techniques- Simulation is the act of mimicking a real object, event, or process by assuming its appearance or outward qualities. The field of medicine has occasionally incorporated simulation into its training. However, for the majority of applications, the technology has been limited and subsequently so has its success. The one major exception to this has been the use of computer-enhanced mannequins.
Other Applications – VR is very helpful in various human simulation techniques and enables doctors, physicians, nurses, and other medical Apart from the applications mentioned above, there are numerous other applications of VR in healthcare, some of which are listed below :-
- Virtual reality in Dentistry
- VR treatment for PTSD
- Virtual reality in Nursing
- Autism treatment using VR
- VR for the disabled
- VR in phobia treatment
Future of VR:-
- Given the evidence for an expanding market and growth in the field of emerging technologies in healthcare, it has been estimated that healthcare uses of virtual reality will be the second-largest share of the VR market by 2022.
- Overall, VR offers revolutionizing ways to advance patient care as well as medical procedures, training and many more opportunities. These virtual environments also help healthcare in achieving targets such as streamlined costs, more efficiency. In times to come, the technology will provide a healing touch to patients while sharpening the skills of medical practitioners, thereby adding value to the entire healthcare ecosystem.