5 Ways Virtual Reality is Changing the Healthcare Industry

XR Guru
3 min readApr 13, 2023

In the 21st century, technological advancements have transformed multiple industries, helping us build a world with new possibilities and hope for millions around the globe. The healthcare industry has immensely benefited from technological solutions, and virtual reality (VR) is the latest technology that is enhancing the healthcare industry. This article presents 5-ways VR is changing the healthcare industry.

How VR is Revolutionizing Healthcare

Let us take a closer look at some fantastic uses of virtual reality in healthcare and how it is improving patient care.

1. Comforting Chronic Patients

Patients with chronic diseases often feel that time comes to a halt in the hospital, and they start to miss their family and friends. VR offers a solution to this problem by helping patients escape the hospital walls and virtually visit different parts of the world. Viewing calming landscapes before an operation reduces patients’ anxiety and helps them feel more relaxed.

2. Accelerating Physical Therapy

For patients who survived traumatic physical injuries, time is of the essence. The sooner they start the physical rehabilitation process, the higher the chances of recovery. Using VR for physical therapy promotes a gamified approach, making rehabilitation more enjoyable and increasing patient engagement. An immersive therapy approach can improve the outcomes.

3. Realistic Medical Conferences with VR

Traditional medical healthcare conferences can be boring. Conventional healthcare conferences often involve dull presentations and lack audience engagement. It is high time we introduce technology to improve these conferences. Using VR technology to organize healthcare conferences can significantly improve engagement with interactive 3D visuals and gamification elements. With immersive visuals and heightened audience engagement, the overall quality of the medical conference can skyrocket.

4. Pain Management

Some medical procedures and post-surgery recovery can be extremely painful, making it difficult for patients to endure pain. Thankfully, virtual reality technology is emerging as one of the most effective methods for pain relief. In recent times, medical professionals have started using VR-based programs to distract their patients from their medical conditions.

VR simulations immerse patients in a highly engaging and visually striking environment, distracting them from the physical or mental discomfort they might be experiencing.

5. Surgery Assistance

Many healthcare organizations feel VR is the next big thing in improving surgeries. VR solutions and 3D visualization help surgeons to plan complex surgeries by visualizing all possible scenarios. Also, using VR enables doctors to collaborate with specialist surgeons from remote locations and get their instructions when performing surgery.

Further, VR-based surgery training helps medical students sharpen their scalpel skills without putting real-life patients at risk.

Concluding Thoughts

The above-stated are just a few examples of how virtual reality is improving the healthcare experience for both patients and doctors. Cutting-edge technologies like VR are modernizing the healthcare sector, and we are excited to see how VR will transform the medical industry in the years to come.

From developing the skills of next-gen medical practitioners to improving detection, diagnosis, and treatment, VR has the potential to revolutionize all aspects of healthcare. As VR becomes more affordable, it will be more widely adopted in the healthcare setting.

For more details, visit: https://www.xrguru.com/virtual-reality-in-healthcare

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