Healthcare institutions worldwide are increasingly exploring virtual and mixed reality technologies, from major teaching hospitals using Virtual Reality for surgical training to rehabilitation centres implementing mixed reality for physical therapy.
As these immersive technologies continue to evolve, they’re reshaping everything from medical education to patient care, promising to revolutionise how we approach healthcare in the 21st century.
In this article, we’ll understand exactly how this technology is changing healthcare.
Virtual Reality vs Mixed Reality Technologies
Virtual Reality (VR) and Mixed Reality (MR) represent two distinct but complementary approaches to immersive technology in healthcare.
VR creates completely immersive digital environments that users experience through specialised headsets that put them into a simulated world.
This technology enables medical professionals to practice procedures, train in risk-free environments, and deliver cutting-edge therapies.
Mixed reality, on the other hand, overlays digital content onto the physical world, allowing healthcare providers to interact with both real and virtual elements simultaneously.
Through devices like Microsoft’s HoloLens, mixed reality allows surgeons to visualise patient data during procedures or enable therapists to guide patients through rehabilitation exercises with real-time digital feedback.
Virtual reality and mixed reality technologies are collectively known as extended reality.
How Are Extended Reality Technologies Transforming Healthcare?
The medical community has shown enthusiasm for incorporating extended reality into practice, with studies showing an overwhelming majority of doctors believing in a positive impact on patient outcomes.
The adaptability of extended reality has allowed it to be utilised in various areas of healthcare; some of its applications include:
Medical Training and Education
One of the greatest appeals of virtual reality has been its possible applications in medical education.
The idea that medical students and doctors alike could acquire skills one can only truly know by doing at no risk to human life was exciting.
Today, as the field of extended reality grows, these dreams have become reality.
These technologies provide detailed, three-dimensional visualisations of human anatomy that can be manipulated and explored from any angle, offering unprecedented learning opportunities.
A Harvard Business Review study also showed that VR training improved surgical performance by 230% compared to traditional training methods. Such statistics demonstrate the powerful potential of immersive technologies in medical training.
Patient Care and Therapy
Virtual reality has become a powerful tool in pain management and mental health treatment.
Patients undergoing painful medical procedures, when immersed in calming virtual environments, have been shown to have reduced perceived pain levels.
Similarly, the immersive properties of extended reality play a vital role in mental health care.
VR exposure therapy has shown remarkable success in treating conditions like PTSD, phobias, and anxiety disorders.
Mixed reality applications also play a role by enabling healthcare providers to conduct more effective remote consultations, allowing specialists to visualise and interact with patient data in real time while maintaining natural communication.
This capability has become particularly valuable with the increasing prevalence of telemedicine.
Surgical Planning And Assistance
VR and MR technologies are the surgeon’s dream. These tools are poised to revolutionise surgical planning and execution by allowing surgeons to create detailed, patient-specific 3D models for pre-surgical planning.
This helps them anticipate challenges and optimise their approach before entering the operating room.
MR guidance systems provide real-time navigation and visualisation of critical structures during procedures, enhancing precision and reducing surgical risks.
Stanford University is one of the pioneers in this application.
Using VR to create pre-surgical 3D models of tumours and surrounding tissue, surgeons can work with remarkable precision.
Other establishments in Berlin, London, and the United States have also succeeded in adopting extended reality technologies.
Rehabilitation And Physical Therapy
Rehabilitation is often a gruelling process. By creating virtual worlds and assigning tasks, puzzles, and quests to patients, it becomes a game.
The gamification of rehabilitation has transformed physical therapy, making exercises more engaging and effective.
Patients with stro.kes or injuries can practice movements in virtual environments that adapt to their progress while providing immediate feedback. Mixed reality systems have also shown similar applications.
Enhanced Healthcare Collaboration
Premium healthcare is more often the result of effective collaboration among healthcare providers. This is why the border-crossing, barrier-breaking opportunities virtual and mixed reality provide are worth considering.
Medical teams can consult on complex cases regardless of physical location through shared mixed reality spaces. At the same time, VR environments enable group training sessions and simulated team procedures.
This capability has proven valuable in rare or complex cases requiring multiple specialist opinions.
Integrating VR and MR technologies has yielded significant benefits across healthcare delivery.
Studies indicate higher accuracy with VR-assisted spine surgeries compared to traditional surgeries.
Additionally, these technologies are anticipated to be cost-effective in the long run.
Challenges And Limitations
Despite its brimming potential, several challenges remain regarding the widespread adoption of VR and MR technologies.
As with some previous revolutionary technologies, initial implementation costs are substantial, with some studies citing cost as a reason for the lack of adoption in several facilities.
Additionally, many healthcare facilities, particularly in low-to-middle-income countries, lack the infrastructure to effectively support these technologies.
Ethical considerations also present challenges, particularly regarding patient data privacy and consent in virtual environments.
Questions about data ownership, storage, and security have been raised and must be carefully addressed as these technologies become more prevalent in healthcare settings.
Future Prospects
The future of VR and MR in healthcare appears promising, with technological advances making these systems more accessible and powerful. The integration of artificial intelligence promises to create more personalised and adaptive healthcare solutions, while improvements in hardware are making VR and MR devices more comfortable and practical for extended use.
The global value of virtual reality in healthcare is projected to be over $13 billion by 2029. This will likely drive further innovation in virtual and mixed-reality healthcare applications, making specialised care more accessible to remote populations. Virtual and mixed reality technologies fundamentally change how healthcare is practised and delivered.
From enhancing medical education to improving surgical outcomes and patient care, these innovations create new healthcare delivery possibilities.
As technology evolves and becomes more accessible, healthcare providers and institutions should actively explore how these tools can enhance their practice and improve patient outcomes.
Understanding and adopting these technologies may become essential for medical professionals and healthcare organisations looking to stay competitive in an increasingly digital healthcare landscape.
Embracing innovations in virtual healthcare positions providers to deliver cutting-edge care in the future. The future of healthcare increasingly revolves around these advancements.
Joining our upcoming “Maiden Healthcare Leadership And Innovation Webinar” on January 18th. It’s free, and we will be exploring the role of artificial intelligence in expanding access to quality, safe and affordable care in Africa. You don’t want to miss it for anything. If you’re a healthcare professional interested in artificial intelligence in healthcare, this is the right way and place to start. Happily, we’re focusing on AI in healthcare throughout January.
Register here and invite colleagues and friends.
Drop Your Comment