VIRTUAL REALITY IS REVOLUTIONISING THE HEALTHCARE INDUSTRY.

At Visualise, we believe that immersive technologies are the key to transforming the healthcare industry.

Forward-thinking healthcare professionals and technologists are pushing boundaries every day, and we’ve seen huge increases in demand for cutting-edge digital platforms such as Stamford’s Virtual Heart or bespoke VR Training simulators to bring clinical examinations and teaching tools to life like never before.

And with the global virtual and augmented reality healthcare market projected to reach $18.7 billion by 2028 – now is one of the most exciting times to be a part of the vanguard of this new era.

Below we discuss some of the ways we can help bring your healthcare AR and VR visions to life.

PATIENT EDUCATION & COMMUNICATION

Virtual Reality has the ability to transport you inside and around the human body, to access and view areas that would traditionally be impossible to reach.

Using hyper-realistic CGI, virtual models can be displayed in real-time, allowing clinical practitioners to show patients vital information in greater levels of detail, helping them to visualise their conditions and see how therapies and treatments will work.

Patients are better equipped to learn about and understand their conditions from their own homes, and the highest quality medical consultations can be delivered to the most remote locations without any travel required, freeing up valuable medical manpower along the way.

MEDICAL TRAINING

Interactive digital models give students and teachers access to advanced ways of visualising human anatomy that are vastly superior to traditional cadaver and book-based anatomy lessons.

Clinical examinations (such as OSCE’s) can be replicated, taught and examined to match curricula. And bespoke surgical procedures can be simulated with zero patient risk, creating safer environments, and much more cost and time-effective way of bolstering learning.

Virtual models can also react in dynamic ways that no prosected specimen can. Allowing students and teachers to experience a seamless journey from the macro (e.g. a virtual full-body cardiovascular examination) to the micro level (CGI lipid molecules contributing to luminal occlusions). All contributing to a more holistic understanding of physiology.

Even complex pharmaceutical concepts can be explained more easily using visualised Mechanisms of Action.

MENTAL HEALTH & ADJUNCTIVE THERAPY

By using 360 video and Unity-based virtual worlds, mental health can delivered in ways and places that far outreach old school methodologies.

No longer does a therapist need to accompany a client to a crowded shopping centre, or up a tall building. Situations that are impractical or impossible to recreate — e.g. a fear of flying, or the harrowing events that can lie behind PTSD — can be conjured at the click of a mouse.

The in-situ coaching that’s so effective for so many disorders can now be delivered in the consulting room, with the simulations and exposures controlled as necessary.

One of the most powerful aspects of virtual immersion is its ability to create empathy. Pharmaceutical research & development company AbbVie created an experience to raise awareness amongst healthcare professionals of the daily struggle of patients suffering from Parkinson’s disease.

The experience was demo-ed at an industry trade show where people could put on a headset and experience first hand as a Parkinson’s sufferer navigates a virtual supermarket, encountering awkward moments when coming into contact with other people.

PAIN MANAGEMENT & PHYSICAL THERAPY

VR’s healing capabilities aren’t just limited to psychological issues. The University of Washington Seattle and the UW Harborview Burn Centre showed that VR immersion for those undergoing physical therapy after a skin graft reduced pain levels for the patients. And VR for physical therapy has also been shown to be effective in speeding up recovery time. Allowing the patient to do their prescribed daily exercises in a virtual environment makes the activity more fun, keeps the patient focused, and helps them keep their spirits up during what can be a long recovery period. Even stroke rehabilitation is possible in the realm of VR.

THE FUTURE

More than just exciting new technologies, AR and VR have been proven to have positive impacts on immersive learning across the healthcare spectrum.

In the coming years, Immersive Technologies such as Augmented Surgery will be used more and more to improve the accuracy & effectiveness of current procedures. People’s capabilities both as the care-giver and the patient will be enhanced, and access to life-saving information and vital skills will be delivered in ways that no other technology can match.

The potential for VR in the healthcare sector is limited only by the creativity & ingenuity of those creating and applying the technology. Virtual reality tools will bridge gaps, not widen them, and in the end, the virtual will help make us all become more human.

If you’d like to discuss how we can bring your Virtual Reality Healthcare project to life, please get in touch below.