Currently, the traditional healthcare system has reached its breaking point. The ‘Sick-Care’ delivery system has severely eroded the public’s faith in the healthcare system. On the rise are diabetes, cardiovascular disease, stroke, and cancer, among other chronic lifestyle-related diseases. As patients are now expected to adopt a new self-care lifestyle, treatments present a significant challenge as high levels of uncertainty frequently accompany them. Exists a solution to bridge this chasm? The Metaverse can aid in resolving all of these problems.
In the Metaverse, physical, augmented, and digital realities coexist. The “metaverse” is a web-accessible virtual environment. In a metaverse, emotions and body language can be replicated. The “metaverse” consists of the social and economic networks in the real and digital worlds.
The Metaverse could profoundly transform our understanding of medicine and healthcare. For those who need it most, there will be a sense of community and support, creating a more immersive, intimate, and appealing medical experience. In sparsely populated areas, adaptive, intelligent solutions can help break down barriers between hospitals and their patients, thereby increasing the likelihood that patients will receive the care they require and their overall satisfaction with the experience.
Possibility of the Metaverse to Transform Healthcare
According to the report, Metaverse is one of the most important technologies of the future due to its potential to assist patients in remote locations in receiving the correct care, diagnosis, medical treatment, or assistance in medical procedures in real-time and during the golden hours from experts in different geographic areas.
It will benefit numerous industries, not just healthcare. Metaverse is the future of online communication. It will enhance telemedicine, medical education, and similar healthcare services.
“Metaverse can assist healthcare providers in improving their Digital Roadmaps by bringing more individualized care to patients at their homes or other convenient locations. AR and VR allow brands to communicate globally with medical professionals. Together, they can create novel avenues for care delivery, potentially reducing costs and enhancing health outcomes.
Metaverse Features That Create Waves in the Medical Field
Education and Training
By removing geographical limitations, the Metaverse can assist in training medical professionals worldwide, regardless of their location. In addition, simulating a real-world environment can help healthcare professionals improve their skills without endangering patients. Beyond Metaverse has entered the Metaverse to simultaneously bring together healthcare professionals for learning, practicing, and future preparation. The platform incorporates cloud and real-time communication technologies to provide medical professionals with the most realistic training possible.
Health and Nutrition
When people discuss their health and diet with their Metaverse friends, it is easier for them to adopt those practices and see that their friends are doing the same. Comparing vital signs and other metrics between patients with the same condition is possible. It can help them understand how well they are doing and share advice and treatment options with others who have undergone the same procedures.
Mental Health
The global pandemic increased mental health conditions such as depression, anxiety, and addictive behaviors. Isolation also exacerbated the symptoms of mental health conditions such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. The capacity of the Metaverse to generate illusory experiences may relieve psychotic, hallucinatory, and anxious patients. In addition, virtual reality can help patients overcome their fears by permitting them to relive a traumatic event while maintaining control of their environment. For instance, Dr. Daniel Freeman and his colleagues at Oxford University have developed the game change virtual reality system. The system treats psychosis using virtual reality and a medical technology known as digital therapeutics or DTx.
Teleconsultation
Even though telemedicine was utilised during the pandemic, the Metaverse has the potential to enhance its capabilities. A consultation would be smarter and more informative if patients could wait in a virtual office and meet the doctor in a 3D environment.
Collaborative Surgeries
Using the Metaverse, surgeons and physicians can collaborate and share data on complex surgical procedures. Specialists can also remotely assist surgeons during surgical procedures. Surgical procedures already employ technologies such as augmented reality and robotics. Using augmented reality, Johns Hopkins neurosurgeons successfully removed a cancerous tumor from a patient’s spine. The Metaverse could serve as a stepping stone for advancing these technologies.
Principal Healthcare Brands Adopting Metaverse
As a result of the widespread adoption of technology in the healthcare industry, it is evident that the majority of prominent brands will soon integrate Metaverse. Similar initiatives are already underway:
XRHealth
XRHealth, a provider of augmented reality therapeutic solutions such as virtual reality (VR) headset therapy, has reportedly received $10 million to fund its expansion into the Metaverse, as reported by CTech. The goal of the company, as stated by its chief executive officer, is to “create a new form of healthcare that is accessible at any time, from any location, and is personalised and adjusted based on real-time analytics.”
Latus Healthcare Services
Latus Healthcare is in the process of establishing a “virtual hospital.” Physiotherapy services will initially be the primary focus of this virtual hospital.
iMining
iMining is the first hospital foundation based on the Decentraland Metaverse.
Techs That Will Help Build Metaverse Apps Rapidly
Companies such as Microsoft encourage the rapid development of applications for the Metaverse using multiple technology stacks; consequently, competition in this field is bound to increase. Microsoft Azure hosts a variety of Metaverse-relevant technology stacks, including those created by Microsoft.
- Microsoft Mesh and HoloLens are two augmented reality platforms.
- Microsoft Power Architecture
- AI and Autonomous Systems in Azure
- Azure Synapse Intelligence
- Azure Maps
- Azure Digital Twins
- AWS provides multiple solutions and services enabling Game Tech – Amazon GameLift to host dedicated servers and FleetIQ to support multiplayer games.
- Amazon Lumberyard engine for games.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the Metaverse is an emerging concept that will introduce numerous new dimensions as major social players integrate various virtual reality and immersive experience components. This is especially true for the predominantly traditional healthcare industry. The Metaverse, created by a leading metaverse development company, will be a fantastic tool for patient and healthcare professional education, empowerment, and the provision of blissful experiences.