Have VR and AR become a fundamental part of modern healthcare?
October 27, 2022The application of AR and VR in healthcare has long been touted as a potential game changer in the industry, but even the staunchest supporters of mixed reality could hardly have foreseen its meteoric rise. But those who saw how it could provide essential services not only from a treatment perspective but in how we train our healthcare professionals will be far less surprised by the immense impact they’ve already had.
Perhaps the stigma attached to mixed reality as a source of entertainment rather than a legitimate asset to those in need has contributed to the perception that it would forever be a pipe dream. But in the last couple of years, the progression of these technologies has come on in leaps and bounds, with estimations already predicting growth of around $ 9 billion from 2022 to 2027.
The optimism in these forecasts isn’t rooted in some fantastical idealistic world in which we simply hope that our new technologies can have a transformational effect on the quality of our lives but rather in tangible, measurable results. VR and AR in healthcare are on the cusp of being critical elements in several treatments, and the use cases for their application grows seemingly by the day. What are the reasons behind its year-on-year expansion? How can we explain its disruptive qualities being so well utilized? We can find the answers to these questions in how we’re starting to change the ways we put our emerging technologies to work and the motivating factors behind our innovation. To help people.
Present and future applications for mixed reality
As we begin to unfurl and discover new ways of perfecting these technologies, their applications become more apparent and abundant. Breaking the boundaries of proximity and encouraging collaboration across borders means that our ability to use these technologies globally has reached unprecedented levels of efficacy. Healthcare professionals can communicate in real time with patients and peers alike, meaning treatments and procedures can be given many perspectives simultaneously. AR VR healthcare, in its current guise, is already providing a number of benefits that are keenly felt across a host of applications, such as:
1- Practical Education
The hyperrealistic virtual environments created by AR VR in healthcare simulate concepts and processes that are notoriously difficult to understand in a 2D representation. It is also indicative of one of mixed reality’s core features that make it such a valuable asset to medicine. Immersion. The human body is incredibly complex, and being able to work with a digital subject allows users to navigate an accurate depiction in 3 dimensions.
As the power of mixed reality inevitably increases, we can soon begin to add even more layers of specificity, allowing for deeper learning and skills acquisition. It’ll also mean shorter training timeframes as healthcare professionals can train on the job or at home for as much time as they have. In the very near future, learners will be able to complete training and immediately have feedback automatically provided at a moment’s notice while also receiving virtual debriefings from colleagues or mentors through web-based teleconferencing.
2- Cost Efficiency
AR VR in healthcare market forces is already driving massive disruption and innovation, and as these technologies evolve even further, they will become cheaper and more accessible globally; of that, there is no doubt. But the most significant cost-saving factor comes from the complete lack of dependence on available labs, cadavers, instruments, health and safety measures, anatomy theatres, and any other related physical aspects.
Not only that, but hospitals and clinics will be able to limit spending on the basis that patients can be discharged more quickly with many post-operative, psychological, and pain management treatment solutions now available using mixed reality.
3- Improved Quality of Care
The revolution in AR VR MR in healthcare will have a transformational effect on the overall quality of treatments and care and has already significantly impacted the number of successful surgeries and diagnoses. This is attributed to several factors, including the superior training received by novice surgeons in mixed reality settings, the ability to draw on highly detailed reports and statistics concerning the patient’s condition, and the continued growth of telehealth which allows for the monitoring of patients remotely. More than 80% of surgeons who have had experience with these technologies have said that they would use them again in the future. This is arguably the most glowing reference of them all.
With a growing number of healthcare professionals who lead their fields coming to the same conclusion regarding the immense potential of VR and AR, this will lead to further consensus and collaboration in using these technologies to their total capability. As the hardware begins to evolve, so too will our ability to harness them for the greater good, and within a few years, we could start to see a revolution in healthcare, the likes of which we haven’t witnessed in quite some time.
Lead your organization into the future with a partner that always has its eyes on the horizon
The question is no longer whether VR and AR have become a fundamental part of healthcare. The question is how long will it take us to realize that they already are. To the many patients and professionals who’ve had the chance to work with these incredible technologies, there is no doubt that we are witnessing a tremendous paradigm shift within medicine. The rate at which they are adopted by mainstream medicine is increasing by the day, and those ready to take the lead in their application will be vindicated not only by the industry at large but, perhaps more importantly, by the people, we aim to help. Talk to us about integrating a solution that works for you and your patients.