HOW AR IS CHANGING THE HEALTH CARE SPACE
Augmented reality (AR) is a technology that combines digital elements with the physical world. It creates immersive experiences by adding layers of digital information to the physical world.
Examples include virtual objects in the real world, enhanced navigation or gaming applications. AR can be used to engage consumers in creative ways and provide them with helpful information.
AR-based tools and applications are used to educate patients, train medical professionals, and assist in surgeries and rounding. For patients, AR can help to improve understanding of complex medical conditions and procedures, reducing anxiety and increasing patient engagement.
Assisted Reality (AR) technology is transforming the healthcare industry in several ways.
What is Assisted Reality?
AR can also be used in telemedicine consultations, allowing doctors to visualise and interact with patient information remotely.
AR-powered surgical navigation systems can also provide real-time guidance during complex procedures, improving accuracy and reducing the risk of complications.
Overall, AR technology is revolutionising the healthcare space by improving patient outcomes, increasing efficiency, and reducing travel and training costs.
In medical education, AR creates immersive and interactive learning experiences. Medical students can use AR to practice procedures and surgeries in a simulated environment, as well as attend rounding or patient exams remotely to shadow a more experienced professional. These experiences help to build confidence and reduce the risk of errors in real-world scenarios.
Additionally, AR can display medical images and data, assisting surgeons in making more informed decisions in the operating room.
How has AR Impacted Health Care?
Assisted Reality (AR) has significantly impacted the healthcare industry, improving various aspects of patient care, education, and training. Some of the ways AR has been used in healthcare include:
- Medical Visualisation: AR can help medical professionals to connect with other doctors without using their hands, see important information right in their eye line
- Patient Education: AR can be used to educate patients about their conditions and treatments, improving understanding and promoting better outcomes.
- Medical Training: AR can be used to train medical professionals in complex procedures and surgeries, providing hands-on experience in a safe and controlled environment.
- Remote Consultations: AR can connect patients with healthcare professionals for remote consultations, reducing the need for in-person visits.
- Rehabilitation: AR can create engaging and interactive physical therapy sessions, helping patients recover from injury and improve their mobility.
Overall, AR has the potential to revolutionise healthcare, improving outcomes for patients, enhancing the training and education of medical professionals, and making healthcare more accessible and efficient.
5 Real-life Examples and Applications of AR in Health Care:
Below mentioned are some real-life examples of Augmented Reality (AR) in the healthcare sector:
- Medical Training: Augmented Reality trains medical professionals, offering a realistic experience that simulates surgeries and procedures.
- Physical Therapy: AR is used in physical therapy sessions to provide patients with interactive and engaging exercises to help with rehabilitation.
- Remote Consultations: AR enables medical professionals to conduct remote consultations with patients, allowing them to assess symptoms, provide diagnoses and offer treatment options from a distance.
- Surgical Planning: AR is used by surgeons to plan complex surgeries and procedures, providing a 3D view of a patient’s anatomy and allowing for pre-operative simulations.
- Medical Imaging: AR enhances medical imaging by overlaying patient data onto real-time images, providing physicians with a complete picture of a patient’s anatomy. This can be particularly useful in diagnosing and treating brain tumours and heart conditions.
Benefits of AR in Health Care:
Augmented Reality (AR) has the potential to revolutionize healthcare in many ways, including:
- Improving Medical Education: AR can enhance medical students’ learning experience by providing interactive and engaging visual aids.
- Enhancing Patient Outcomes: AR can help healthcare professionals to better diagnose and treat patients by providing real-time information and guidance during procedures.
- Improving Surgical Outcomes: AR can assist surgeons by providing real-time information and guidance during procedures, reducing the risk of errors and complications.
- Streamlining Clinical Trials: AR can help researchers to collect more accurate data during clinical trials by allowing them to see the effects of treatments in real-time.
- Improving Accessibility: AR can provide remote consultations and remote medical training, making healthcare more accessible for people in remote and underserved communities.
- Reducing Costs: AR can reduce healthcare costs by increasing efficiency, improving outcomes, and reducing the need for repeat procedures.
Learn more benefits of AR and aR, here.
Conclusion:
The future of Assisted and Augmented Reality (AR) in healthcare is promising and holds the potential to revolutionise the way medical practices and procedures are carried out.
AR can help healthcare professionals visualize complex medical conditions and anatomy, improving patient outcomes and reducing medical errors. It can also assist in medical education, enabling medical students to learn and practice procedures in a virtual environment.
Additionally, AR can enhance telemedicine by providing remote consultations with specialists, enabling medical professionals to diagnose and treat patients with greater accuracy remotely. In the future, AR may also play a role in patient rehabilitation, providing physical therapy and exercise routines in a virtual environment.
In summary, the use of AR in healthcare is expected to grow as technology improves and becomes more accessible, leading to improved patient outcomes, reduced medical errors, and more efficient medical practices.