As the possibilities of Virtual Reality grow, benefits have been extended to differing fields. As the medical field has integrated VR into training, surgeries, and treatments, medical professionals are able to prioritize safety, materials, and patient care. SONNY+ASH has the resources to aid the growth of VR in the medical field and is excited to see the changes VR usage is initiating. Here are 3 ways that Virtual Reality can help medical professionals.
1. Medical Diagnosis
Medical professionals are trained to diagnose patients, but VR helps to streamline this process. One example of this is ophthalmology. According to the BMJ, if a medical professional did not have a formal focus on ophthalmology during their undergraduate, they had a relatively short exposure time to ophthalmology during training. If a patient were to come into a check-up with eye pain, the doctor may not have quite enough training to diagnose the specific form of what the patient was dealing with. The patient would have to be recommended to an ophthalmologist, causing time and resources to be wasted. But, through VR programs like EYE-SYNC, eye-movement is tracked and the correct diagnosis is found in any office in the world. While the knowledge of certain medical procedures differ from professional to professional, Virtual Reality helps to standardize the aid given to all patients.
2. Training
There is no better training than real world practice. If medical students utilize their skills in VR sessions, accidents will be minimized in the future. While real-life practice may be harder to come by, practice opportunities are endless through the usage of Virtual Reality. Students are able to use head & hand sets to see and feel any example of a surgery or procedure. Risk is lowered on rare cases because students master necessary procedures that are not available to practice with Virtual Reality. Training is brought up a level with VR.
3. Calming techniques
When patients are stressed because of upcoming procedures, VR calms them down. Meditations can be followed, worlds can be created, and games can be played. St. George’s hospital preformed a study observing the usage of VR with their patients. 80% of patients felt less pain after wearing the headset and 73% felt less anxious. This statistic shows the immense help that virtual reality can be for overwhelmed patients.
SONNY+ASH sees the progress that VR is spear-heading in the medical field. Our artists are equipped to join the movement and bring aid to medical workers and patients. We know that our virtual reality creations can help to diagnose, train, and calm. Head over to our Virtual Reality tab to get started.