Virtual reality and extended reality in general have been making their way to many industries at a steady pace for the last decade, with more and more applications every year. No longer is VR exclusive to entertainment – albeit the recent developments in that area are almost as exciting.
The healthcare industry in particular has been improved by virtual reality technology, introducing innovations in medical training and patient treatment, among others. There has been a major increase in the use of VR technology by medical and pharmaceutical companies.
What exactly is VR used for in the healthcare industry? Let’s find out!
Radical change of the medical training process
You might have heard of the popular VR video game Surgeon Simulator, where you perform surgeries on a virtual patient. Medical training with VR is similar in concept – although the simulation is infinitely more detailed and complex.
Virtual reality gives aspiring medical professionals an ability to experience the human body on another level, viewing areas which would otherwise be impossible to access. Instead of using a corpse to learn on, medical students can now train on a simulation of a fully detailed, live human body that reacts in a way you would expect a live organism to react.
Virtual reality in patient treatment and therapy
The use of VR in medicine isn’t exclusive to training – actual medical procedures are also provided with the help of virtual reality. Surgeons often perform using robotic appendages controlled from thousands of miles away, limiting the risk of complications during the surgery and increasing the accuracy of the procedure.
Virtual reality also provides innovative capabilities for mental healthcare. Patients with psychological trauma can experience a tailored VR scenario, created to help them overcome their issues. Therapists can also heal physical trauma in a more efficient way, shortening recovery time by allowing patients to exercise in VR. Physical therapy scenarios can have patients doing specifically prescribed movements disguised as a fun activity in a fully virtual world.
VR has tons of uses for healthcare professionals – it fosters their ability to learn and expands their actual medical capabilities. How is it all done in practice? With projects such as Mazer – a flexible extended reality platform for building customized virtual spaces. For more information about Mazer’s uses in improving healthcare, check out https://mazerspace.com/healthcare/.
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