Virtual reality is a well-known form of technology that is still being developed as we speak. Since the start of its development, virtual reality has mainly been used in the gaming industry. However, over the past decade, virtual reality has taken other industries by storm. It has become clear that the benefit of virtual reality has spread to plenty of different fields. That being said, one of the fields that have seen a lot of benefits from virtual reality is healthcare. With it, healthcare reached new levels of efficiency. Additionally, it is being used in many different parts, from training to treating. With virtual reality, new doctors that are still in training could do specific and dangerous operations without any risk. On the other hand, patients that are bedridden can experience so much without moving at all. So if you are interested in the topic, here are several ways how vr in healthcare is being used.
Providing Safe Training
With the arrival of new generations, new teaching methods arose. While the old ways of teaching have proved that they can be effective, newer methods are likely to soon overtake them. In comparison to the past ways of training when the doctors in training would have to attend operations and passively watch as the surgeon would explain everything, virtual reality has given everyone a chance at participating and learning first-hand. This more direct approach has proven to be quite effective in the training process. Additionally, virtual reality also provides great practice for surgeons that already have years of experience. VR in medical training has greatly improved the overall performance and confidence in general of all doctors that have participated in this form of training. Additionally, the speed of procedures also increased.
Furthermore, the way students learned before differed quite a bit. In the past, when the surgeon was doing an operation, students had to watch in person and learn that way. This could prove problematic as it would be done once and if the students did not get to see everything they would have to wait until the operation was performed again. For some students, this would prove to be quite a problem. With the help of virtual reality, problems like that have been solved. This way, students can participate in the procedure through an online stream where they can clearly see everything. All they have to do is put on a pair of virtual reality goggles. Now they can comfortably go through the whole procedure easily. However, this form of teaching has not yet been standardized and sadly is not implemented in most places.
Providing Help to Patients
Most of us have probably been to a hospital for a longer period of time in our lives. We can all agree that it can be anxious and boring for the most part. The anxiety is quite problematic as it can slow down your recovery process significantly. This is especially true for patients that have to wait for an operation. The problem here is that sometimes patients cannot go outside or simply cannot leave their beds at all. This is where virtual reality can help. With the help of virtual reality, patients that are bedridden can have a good time. As we said, depending on the reason, a stay at the hospital can prove to be quite traumatic.
According to the studies that were conducted, the patients that participated in using virtual reality have shown a significant increase in their overall mood. Additionally, they stated that their overall experience also improved. They were more relaxed overall after the test was over. Furthermore, interesting enough, they also said that they felt less pain due to this. Lastly, the anxiety levels also dropped making the whole experiment a huge success. Another way that virtual reality has been used is in child labor. A large number of women said that virtual reality greatly helped during the process and that they felt less pain overall. That being said, virtual reality has proven itself to be extremely useful. Although it does not do much, simply averting the patient’s mind to something positive helps in so many ways.
Helping With Rehabilitation
When it comes to rehabilitation, depending on the injury at hand, patients can have a hard time going through it. They might lack motivation or have simply given up. This can be problematic, as in some cases starting the rehabilitation process as soon as possible can determine if the patient can recover or not. With the help of virtual reality, the whole process can be more fun and engaging for the patient. This can motivate patients that have previously given up. Additionally, there have also been studies that show the benefits of virtual reality in the rehabilitation process. It is indisputable that virtual reality has many uses in healthcare and that the help it provides is not something to be overlooked.