Unlimited Reality Could Help Revolutionize Health Care | Deloitte US has been saved
By Anwesha Dutta, managing director, and Unnati Gupta, manager, Deloitte Consulting LLP
Unlimited reality—the convergence of technologies including virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and mixed reality (MR)—could lead to the development of vast networks of real-time virtual worlds that provide immersive human experiences and interactions.
The combination of VR, AR, MR, and related virtual technologies are poised to potentially revolutionize a wide range of industries including health care. This unlimited reality could offer groundbreaking possibilities for remote interactions, care collaborations, medical research, and process enhancement. Tech-enabled immersive experiences can offer seamless connections between medical professionals, caregivers, patients, and peers, which could enhance care quality, training, and accessibility. The technology could also help open virtual spaces that can be used for diagnoses, care, counseling, and medical training. Unlimited reality can also be used to test operational capacities and new processes (see Myth Busters: What might be next for virtual health?).
Mental health care, pain management, and clinical coordination are a few examples of how health care providers are beginning to leverage unlimited reality. Deepesh Chandra, CIO of Montefiore Health System in New York City, recently explained to us that VR use in health care could be a “transformative step toward immersive, personalized care.” Although the health care sector is gradually warming up to this technology, he says strategic planning for its full potential is still nascent. Health care leaders should try to envision a future where virtual ecosystems play a central role in enhancing patient experiences and medical education.
Four ways unlimited reality could impact the health sector
Here is a look at how unlimited reality could affect clinicians, patients, and the overall health care sector. Consider the following unlimited reality applications:
Conclusion
Unlimited reality applications in health care are vast and ever-expanding. Each use-case designed today could be a step toward a comprehensive and transformative virtual ecosystem in future. These immersive experiences could help enhance care, research, and training beyond imagination, and lead to better outcomes for both patients and the health care systems. As the possibilities of this unlimited reality continue to unfold, there could be a revolution that transcends physical boundaries and opens new horizons for all health care stakeholders.
Acknowledgements: Nilesh Baid, Rachel Cherian, Brian Doty, Amrit Kumar, Kartik Sharma
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Endnotes:
1Using virtual reality exposure therapy to enhance treatment of anxiety disorders, Front Psychiatry, October 2019
2Virtual reality in the treatment of eating disorders, Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy, May 2021
3Mount Sinai using virtual reality treatments to help pain relief, Mount Sinai/CBS News, September 21, 2022
4Virtual reality breakthrough: Sheba's innovation in brain injury recovery, Sheba Tel HaShomer, February 12, 2024
5A Game Changer: Virtual reality reduces pain and anxiety in children, Businesswire, August 26, 2021
6A vision-based wayfinding system for visually impaired people, MSIT (Ministry of Science and ICT), Korea, August 2017; AI Vs. Hearing Loss: The Battle That's Transforming Millions Of Lives (forbes.com)
7Stanford study finds seniors favor virtual reality, AP News Agency, February 19, 2024
8NYC Health + Hospitals debuts obstetrics virtual reality technology, NYC Health + Hospitals press release, June 16, 2022
9How virtual reality is transforming surgery, Universal Health Services, Inc.
10The next frontier in virtual reality technology, The George Washington University Hospital, Health News Magazine, September 19, 2018
11Pioneering XR in healthcare for enhanced surgical precision, Surgical Theater, 2024
12Bringing innovation to global surgery, Kyabirwa Surgical Center Annual Report, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, 2019-2022
13What are digital twins and how can they be used in healthcare?, HealthTech, January 10, 2024
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