Throughout history, new and emerging technologies have helped revolutionize and advance the field of medicine, allowing medical professionals to develop groundbreaking new procedures, work towards cures to previously incurable diseases, and much more. Healthcare practitioners are always looking for ways to use emerging technologies to transform their work, and today one of the top technologies available to revolutionize the healthcare space is Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR).
Over the past decade, AR and VR technology have become increasingly mainstream, with devices like the Oculus Rift, Meta Quest and the newly-released Apple Vision Pro making their way into consumers’ hands. As these technologies become more commonplace, they invite new opportunities for medical professionals to integrate them into clinical practices and workflows.—AR and VR have the potential to transform and enhance the way providers deliver healthcare services.
As the world becomes more interconnected globally, there is an unprecedented need for healthcare professionals to collaborate effectively. AR and VR have emerged as the most optimal and immersive solutions for bringing together medical experts with niche skill sets, even when distance makes it impossible to be physically present.
The Recent AR/VR Boom
While AR and VR technology has been around for some time, recent advancements have significantly expanded their capabilities in the medical field, from creating virtual environments for simulating procedures and providing hands-on learning experiences to overlaying data and offering immersive feedback for visualizing critical patient information. These applications have been dramatically expanded upon with recent technological advancements; now, doctors can interact with life-size 3D scans of patients, practice surgical techniques in highly detailed virtual environments, and gain deeper empathy by experiencing simulations from their patients’ perspectives.
AR/VR has the power to connect healthcare professionals from different locations, enabling them to collaborate and share their expertise when it matters most. In challenging medical situations, specialists can be brought in virtually to contribute their unique perspectives and skills, ensuring the best possible outcome for the patient. AR/VR can revolutionize medical education by allowing students to collaborate and learn together in immersive, interactive environments. By simulating complex procedures and real-world scenarios in a safe, controlled setting, this technology prepares future healthcare professionals to work effectively as a team and handle real-world situations with greater confidence and skill.
Empowering Medical Collaboration through AR and VR
When adopting AR/VR technologies, healthcare professionals must consider both the benefits for their practice and patients, as well as the technological requirements for successful implementation. Doctors should approach these technologies with a threefold perspective, assessing how they can address their challenges, enhance patient care, and drive innovation in the medical field. Professionally, AR/VR can streamline workflows, improve diagnostic accuracy, and facilitate remote collaboration. For patients, these technologies offer enhanced education and personalized treatment plans, tailored to each individual’s unique needs and preferences.
However, to successfully implement AR/VR in medicine, healthcare providers must ensure seamless integration and optimal performance. Communication via AR/VR technologies must operate on a strong and reliable network infrastructure to prevent disruptions during critical procedures. Healthcare providers must work closely with technology partners to ensure that the communication and collaboration functionality in their AR/VR systems are built on a solid foundation of high-speed, reliable, low-latency networks. Latency and signal loss could be a challenge in medical settings, particularly during remote collaborations and training where issues could prevent everyone from being on the same page and seeing important demonstrations in real time, which could in turn affect a doctor’s performance when presented with the scenario in a life-threatening situation.
In addition to network performance, privacy and security should be top priorities to prevent breaches of patient data. AR/VR systems should be designed with robust security measures that comply with relevant healthcare regulations, such as HIPAA. These measures should include HIPAA compliance, end-to-end encryption, access controls and SOC2 compliance/ISO certification to protect sensitive patient information.
As AR and VR technologies continue to advance, their potential to transform medical collaboration and improve patient care is immense. By addressing the challenges and embracing the opportunities presented by these technologies, the healthcare industry can look forward to a future where distance is no longer a barrier to providing the best possible care to patients worldwide.
Looking to the Future
The AR/VR healthcare market is projected to reach $9.7 billion by 2027, indicating the value and importance of these technologies in the space. As technology advances, practical use cases and possibilities will expand. AR overlays will become more immersive and interactive, with new use cases like augmented surgery already emerging. Soon, doctors will interact with AR overlays remotely, conducting advanced procedures and collaborating on cures globally.
Collaboration has always been the key to medical advancement, with groundbreaking discoveries and lifesaving cures resulting from combined knowledge and skills. AR/VR now allows doctors to collaborate in immersive virtual environments, providing real-life and hands-on experience. This technology is crucial for improving medical innovation and patient care, driving the field of medicine forward.
About Wyatt Oren
Wyatt Oren is the Director of Sales for Education, Future of Work, and Telehealth at Agora, a global leader in real time communication, classroom technology, and virtual learning. In his role, Wyatt helps businesses, entrepreneurs, and institutions make experiences within AR/VR, mobile, metaverse, and desktop applications more engaging for users. Before joining Agora, Wyatt co-founded the EdTech platform, Applejax, as well as the social app, Barhero Inc, which went on to be acquired by Airtab, inc in 2018.
