Augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) are no longer the domains of science fiction. They’re now part of our everyday life even if we don’t notice them. Both AR and VR rely on new advances in technology and artificial intelligence to create their futuristic magic. But while AR injects a layer of information and visual effects onto the real world, VR creates a whole new alternate reality in which the user can interact with and immerse themselves.
Naturally, the gaming industry was the first to take advantage of this stunning new technology and find applications for it in various gadgets. However, other industries, from car manufacturers to marketers and even the military, have found both AR and VR too useful to pass on. So it was only a matter of time before the healthcare system took notice of its potential and started using it regularly in its field as well. Between medical training and robotic surgery, the new technology is also applied in physical therapy and even post-traumatic stress treatment.
The one caveat to this dazzling brave new world of AR and VR is, of course, data governance and privacy. How safe our personal data really is and how we can protect our sensitive data while using these apps and browsing online. The answers to these questions are beyond the scope of this article, but you can read this quite extensive guide on data governance to get more in-depth information about this hot tech topic.
AR Reality and Expectations in Healthcare
It’s safe to say that our reality is now very much augmented. But the medical industry took this premise to whole new levels that surpass even our most optimistic expectations. The medical staff in any medium-size hospital interacts with AR technologies on a daily basis. Even innovative AR applications like Microsoft Hololens and Google Glass, which didn’t see commercial success, are being embraced by the healthcare field.
One early application for AR technology that the medical profession has found extremely useful was in patient education. Before a rather intrusive surgery, the surgeon would use AR to explain to the patient how the medical procedure would go and how medicines work inside their body. Even surgeons now rely on AR to create a 3D representation of the area in the patient’s body they will operate on before they start the actual surgery. This helps them navigate the complex steps of the procedure and anticipate any complications they might encounter.
When it comes to injecting a patient with medication, some patients have a fear of the needle. Moreover, it’s not always easy for the nurse to locate a vein which increases the suffering of the patient. Here again, AR comes to the rescue with vein visualization. One application, in particular, AccuVein, will overlay the patient’s body with a map of their entire vein structure. This makes it easier for medical professionals to find the right vein quickly without the need to poke around the patient’s body looking for one.
The future of AR in the medical industry holds many bright promises. If the technology keeps evolving at the current pace, we can expect to see new exciting applications in the near future that will make the lives of senior citizens and those with health conditions and impediments a lot more comfortable. So much so that they’ll be able to enjoy a better quality of life with the help of AR.
VR Medical Immersion and Surgery Preparation
While AR is helping with training and educating patients, VR is throwing itself into the thick of the actual surgeries and medical treatments themselves. This might sound like a contraction in terms, but it’s not. Take robotic surgeries as a shining example of the role VR plays in the healthcare field. While robots perform the actual medical procedure, a surgeon is in full control of the robot using VR technology. The human surgeon can look around a specific area in the patient’s body and explore it from different angles before guiding the robot to perform the high-precision procedure.
VR also comes into play and does a great deal of good to patients suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). During treatment, VR eases the patient into an immersive experience similar to the one that had caused the trauma. As the patient tries to overcome the situation and find a solution for it, they heal faster and cut the treatment period short. The same technique is also used for treating other mental disorders such as depression, phobia, and anxiety. VR creates a safe environment for the patient to relax, meditate, and get over the painful symptoms of their respective conditions.
A similar application has been adapted in physical therapy. Thanks to the entertaining aspect of VR, patients can find distractions and lose themselves easily while they undergo treatment. This increases their pain threshold and allows them to go through the therapy with minimal suffering and avoid protracted therapy sessions and unnecessary pain.
Both AR and VR have called labs and medical facilities around the country their home. AR technologies help anxious patients get a good idea of what the surgery is about and they train medical students who have little to no field experience. Meanwhile, VR has become an integral part of robotic surgeries, psychiatric treatments, as well as physical therapy. The future holds a lot of potential for AR and VR in the healthcare industry. And we may not have to wait long to see these technologies help us heal faster and get over chronic health conditions.