Where does the healthcare segment of VR stand right now, and what are its key uses? Those are some of the things we will investigate in this article.
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Developed for several decades, virtual reality or VR technology attracted significant attention in 2012 with the launch of HMD (head-mounted play) products, such as Oculus Rift and Google Cardboard. Before then, virtual reality was mostly used in video games and entertainment. The new developments, however, quickly increased the number of possible VR uses. Combined, AR (augmented reality) and VR technologies were valued at $15.3 billion in 2020, with a projected growth of $77 billion by 2027.
Out of all industries adopting virtual reality, healthcare has been among the leading ones. VR and AR in healthcare were valued at 1,206 billion in 2021, and there is a projected increase to $11,658 billion by 2028. So where does the healthcare segment of VR stand right now, what are its key uses, and is there room for new players in the already competitive market? Those are some of the things we will investigate in this article.
Out of all healthcare segments, telemedicine has been the one that has displayed staggering growth, especially in the post-COVID world. Telemedicine is, of course, not a new trend. Remote diagnosing and treatment have been around since the 19th century. Still, the growth of telemedicine is associated with the growth of technology, including VR.
Virtual reality in telemedicine makes it possible to treat patients who exclusively required in-patient care before. For instance, one of the most innovative uses of VR technology involves the use of a robotic exoskeleton that allows the doctor to get a clear picture of the state of the patient’s limbs while being miles away.
One of the most popular ways of using virtual reality in medicine is for training and educating healthcare providers. Nurses and doctors alike can use virtual reality as a way of training and learning that offers real-life experience.
The majority of operations in modern-day hospitals and clinics are implemented using a host of instruments and high-technology tools/gadgets. The skills of a surgeon are directly dependent on the years of experience they have in handling various devices in the operating room. Enhancing coordination skills, coherence in actions, and the right workflow needs different forms of practice and training.
Simulators offer an excellent way of teaching and training surgeons, helping nurses as well as other medical experts. With virtual reality, all these people can access top-of-the-class education on various health issues. VR in surgery offers a chance to be wholly immersed in scenarios that mirror a real-life operation.
Virtual reality for teaching has already been implemented in multiple clinics across the globe. Case in point, Stanford University has owned a surgery simulator for the last 17 years. The simulator includes haptic tech that provides sensory feedback to the learner during the simulation. The university’s endoscopic sinus surgery simulation utilizes CT scans from real-life patients to develop 3D models learners can practice on.
Departments that deal with emergencies can use virtual reality as a tool for apt training. We all know that practice makes perfect, and this is particularly true when training those who respond to emergencies. The majority of lifesaving interventions and procedures are rarely performed in real life despite being critical for patient survival.
Most of the time, medical practitioners have limited time to act to save the life of a patient. For this reason, it is essential for care providers to ensure that their skills and knowledge are up to date. With VR tools, care providers can quickly simulate scenarios that do not occur regularly and apply the skills and knowledge they have gained through theory.
