Top 10: AR & VR Applications in Healthcare

Virtual reality (also known as VR) is a simulated experience which uses 3D near-eye displays to immerse users in a new world. While enjoyed by those in the gaming world, VR is also changing the way healthcare professionals learn and treat their patients, offering faster and more customisable solutions for those across the healthcare sector. 

Don’t forget to check out our Top 10: Uses of Augmented Reality in Healthcare.

10. Remote consultations

While the healthcare sector was horribly stretched over the pandemic, it did give rise to telemedicine. For people who needed to see a doctor, healthcare facilities were too risky for them to visit. Instead, consultations by phonecall or video were set up, allowing patients to speak to a healthcare professional from their home. 

Using virtual reality headsets, patients can experience a more immersive and lifelike remote consultation.

9. Virtual hospital tours

Going to the hospital is scary for anyone. For children who are too young to process why they need to go, it can be especially overwhelming. Children can suffer anxiety during the run up to their procedure, as well as after. 

Dr Chris Evans built the Little Journey app for kids undergoing healthcare treatment, which takes children on a virtual reality tour of hospital wards, using animation and games. 

Parents whose children used the app reported that their child was more at ease with their surroundings at the hospital, The Lego Foundation awarded the app £2m funding for additional development.

8. Mindfulness

For those with stress, anxiety and eating disorders, virtual reality headsets can support mindfulness in several key ways.

• Virtual reality headsets create distractions and allow for deeper concentration.
• Headsets offer customisable visual and auditory elements which let users focus on specific things during their mindful practices.
• For those who suffer from external stimuli, virtual reality headsets block out the physical world.
• With reduced distractions, such headsets can decrease mind-wandering, keeping users focused on their practice.

7. Chronic condition management

Virtual reality interventions are used to improve the quality of life for patients with chronic conditions, as the headsets can support the physical and psychological aspects of their health. This technology can be used to teach patients coping strategies and pain management techniques. 

As detailed in #8, virtual reality headsets also offer users a break from distressing external stimuli and help them to manage the stressful parts of their condition. 

6. Exposure therapy

Fear prepares us to run from something dangerous - or fight it. For patients who have debilitating phobias or anxiety disorders, a virtual reality environment can help them. 

Exposure therapy with virtual reality allows an individual with a particular fear to experience it from a safe distance. Virtual reality exposure therapy can offer support for social anxiety, flying, heights and animals. 

AppliedVR is one company creating a new reality for exposure therapy in healthcare. It is pioneering immersive therapeutics (ITx), to treat intractable health conditions. 

"We're committed to developing a significant body of scientific evidence that demonstrates how our RelieVRx programme, which is rooted in self-regulation, cognitive behavioural therapy skills and mindfulness, engages the brain and can impact the experience of pain," said AppliedVR Co-founder and President Josh Sackman. 

5. PTSD treatment

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (known as PTSD) is a devastating mental condition, caused by experiencing or witnessing an event, from a road accident or a terrorist attack. PTSD symptoms can include flashbacks, nightmares, repetitive sensations, sweating, nausea and trembling. It was not officially recognised as a mental disorder until 1980, following the diagnoses of U.S. military veterans of the Vietnam War. 

Virtual reality can help PTSD patients. The University of Southern California's Institute for Creative Technologies, has developed Bracemind, a VR system designed to treat PTSD by simulating traumatic experiences under therapeutic guidance.

4. Medical imaging visualisation

For medical students of the past, live surgeries were observed in packed formal lecture theatres. Now, students can study medical images in an interactive way with headsets which give a different view, using augmented reality or virtual reality. 

Both VR and AR are being applied across healthcare for the advanced understanding of complex anatomy. This gives medical professionals a close-up view of, for example, a tumour which needs to be removed, without the patient present. Such technologies provide an advanced image visualisation which can give healthcare workers a clearer understanding of anatomy and ensure better surgical planning.

3. Autism therapy

The CDC suggests that up to 1 in 36 people are on the autism spectrum. Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) include neuro-developmental conditions, with the individual having difficulties in social and emotional reciprocity. 

Virtual reality initiatives allow people with autism to practise their social skills and improve their interactions. Other systems have been developed to teach important life skills, such as driving. Results showed that people with autism responded positively to virtual reality environments and have been able to transfer these skills into real life.

2. Elderly care

Elderly people can be stereotyped as vehemently against modern technology, while also viewing hours of television to keep them company. But for those willing to try a new gadget, virtual reality headsets offer the elderly an adventure, right from their armchair. 

Virtual reality systems, such as Rendever, offer cognitive stimulation and social engagement for older adults in care facilities.

Retirement communities in Tucson use virtual reality technology to help ward off dementia and loneliness, while also improving their cognition. Using Facebook’s VR device, the Oculus Quest, residents can ride on a roller coaster (minus the queue), tour the Egyptian Pyramids and visit places where they have strong memories - such as a favourite holiday location or a place they once lived in.

1. Medical education

As previously mentioned, healthcare studies have changed throughout the years. Virtual Reality headsets provide anatomy models to support learning for medical students. 

Virtual reality lets users step into realistic environments to practise procedures in a safe and controlled setting, the perfect bridge between theory and hands-on practice.

Other virtual reality applications let students experience medical conditions from a patient's point of view, giving them the opportunity to build their empathy and understanding.

Simulations also let students experience high-pressure medical scenarios and help students to learn how to manage their stress and make decisions under pressure. For those who need to brush up on a specific skill, virtual reality offers customisable learning, without the help of a teacher. 

Overall, for patients and professionals, virtual reality allows for a personalised healthcare experience.

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