Life and commerce will never be the same after the COVID-19 era. The scar of challenging business times will linger long into the known future. Be it our daily life or businesses across the spectrum, the writing is clear on the wall :
EMBRACE THE CHANGE.
Yes, there are unknown questions to be asked, unknown territories to cross, unknown experiences to be felt, but it all starts with a beginning. Its inevitable for businesses to not ignore technology anymore. And in the same breath, its inevitable not to ignore the emergence of immersive technologies anymore.
Though in the backburner for some time now, augmented reality and virtual reality got an unexpected push with COVID, especially in the medical department. The issues arising nowadays needed a significant rethinking of the way things were handled traditionally.
In simplistic terms virtual reality or the concept of it is proved in providing a bunch of applications for healthcare and assisting medical practitioners by offering innovative uses in the core area of healthcare and treatment.
Some of the major emerging domains where VR makes healthcare more proficient can be categorized into 3 parts.
- Personnel training
- Psychiatric nourishment
- Disorder awareness
Personnel Training:
Simulated medical training is not a new concept. But so far few have been done in real-time. The COVID-19 era has unexpectedly thrown this in top gear. Similar to real patient handling, virtual reality has now made possible what was previously a science fiction. The doctors and medical personnel now can practice the most complex cases remotely, but more importantly, safely. This is also paving the way for medical realities to deliver superior training for the handling of surgical cases, ultimately utilizing the interactive and immersive experience.
Psychiatric nourishment:
Immersive realties has long been used to treat PTSD, mostly among war veterans where a need for simulated environment creates comfort. An extreme situation like COVID-19 can create great psychological difficulties which might be similar in nature. The resulting psychosomatic disturbances, if unchecked, may lead to fatal consequences. The VR methodology in these niche cases can be quite helpful and significant too. The management of pain and physical therapy is not only more efficient but the learning environment makes the patient to heal more quickly and sharply. This ultimately reduces the overall recovery time and increases the patient’s satisfaction.
Various applications of VR in context to COVID-19 pandemic.
| Sl No | Applications | Description |
| 1 | VR for Physical Therapy | The concept of virtual reality can handle cases of physical therapy more effectively and impressively. |
| 2 | VR for Pain Management | Virtual reality productively helps COVID-19 patients with chronic pains to achieve relief. |
| 3 | VR based mobile application for COVID-19 | VR-based mobile applications help in the treatment of infection diseases that helps in solving a lot of medical problems. |
| 4 | VR based stay for patients during long in-hospital treatment | Virtual reality approach based glasses can help to get rid of any stress caused by staying at the hospital. |
| 5 | VR for Physical Rehabilitation | COVID-19 patients recoveries will be faster when using virtual reality-based recuperation therapies. |
| 6 | VR for Cognitive Rehabilitation | This technology can immensely help people suffering from cognitive issues or social anxiety. |
| 7 | VR for Distracting Patients | VR headsets can be used to focus on entirely different things and make medical treatment less stressful. |
| 8 | VR for Treatment of Psychological Disorders | VR can be hugely successful in treating patients with fear, phobias, or other psychological disorders. |
| 9 | VR to Aid in Complex Operations | VR helps in planning for intricate surgeries pertaining to vital organs and many other unique cases with no precedence. |
| 10 | VR for Healthcare Professional Training | VR possesses the capability and power to take doctor training regarding COVID-19 virus |
Source: Elsevier Public Health Emergency Collection
Disorder awareness:
Immersive tech is THE technology which brings future to the present. Awareness is nothing but educating people about the future that needs to avoided. This cannot be more emphasized than the COVID-19 situation. Immersive technology teaches us more prominently the pitfalls that can happen when things remain unchecked. This in turn creates an awareness that cannot be achieved by traditional methods. This is not only measurable but also changes the perspective of the participant.
Conclusion:
Immersive tech is being employed broadly in the medical sector and is also being assessed for various disease control. This technology acts as complimentary to our healthcare which enhances the execution and deliverables of the industry. With COVID-19 being here to stay for the foreseeable future, with proper implementation of this technology, institutions can change the face of healthcare for the better.
Contact Rayvector to know more about how you can steer your healthcare business to adopt and grow using virtual and augmented realities.
