
August 24, 2023
Today the world of Telemedicine has gone beyond boundaries to an advanced level that has allowed its amalgamation into the metaverse. Technological progress has combined all forms of advancement and taken it to an astonishing level that curates what the future would look like. The use of AR/VR, Robotics, and Artificial intelligence has created new pathways to help all sectors grow. With the increased sci-tech advancement, the demand and supply chain have also affected consumers and broadened their zone of choices. The changing patterns of consumer behavior invite more innovation for further excellence.
The medical sector for many decades has remained progressive while inviting all sorts of technology. With the chaotic waves of the pandemic, there has been a change in how people view telemedicine. Research shows that about 1.6 billion dollars have been invested in telemedicine globally. The best AI development services providers in the US are targeting telehealth apps to meet the growing market demand.
As the Metaverse evolves, it holds future possibilities in healthcare by applying technologies like artificial intelligence, virtual reality, augmented reality, the Internet of Medical Equipment, Web 3.0, and quantum computing, as well as robotics, to bring innovation in healthcare.
History suggests that for many decades, physical contact between a patient and a doctor was essential to make a diagnosis, receive medical treatment, or execute surgical operations on the patient. However, due to the change in technology within the health sector, there has been a rise in more convenient ways to avoid excessive use of resources.
During the peak of the pandemic, telemedicine gained traction as the sole way for most patients and caregivers to visit or consult a healthcare practitioner. Even though the usage of telehealth seemed to decline when vaccinations were introduced to restore the economy and bring back patients to hospitals, clinics, and doctors, it still proved to be the safest mode of communication between healthcare providers and patients.
The consumers have liked the expediency, and the coronavirus’s continuing alterations and surges will ensure that telemedicine becomes a permanent feature in the health sector.
Telehealth represents a significant shift in service delivery for healthcare providers. Telehealth providers must keep up with what people want and need to be competitive. Integration of the medical providers in virtual, immersive, and collaborative online environments improves multidisciplinary cooperation among doctors and health specialists while it promotes greater medical comprehension, and ensures more equal access to the medical pool of knowledge.
Metaverse in contemporary setups can be seen as an opportunity. It allows users in the digital landscape to have a “virtual presence,” which allows them to meet other people, enjoy spare time, work, and interact with the artificial environment through their senses. Facebook, for example, is working on haptic gloves to transfer pressure on fingertips and palms while contacting virtual things. When users enter the metaverse, they are expected to utilize their digital identities to access a variety of services, notably medical ones. Currently, 75% of US health companies are shifting to telemedicine and other digitized modes of healthcare.
Robots have now replaced the tasks that were previously performed by humans in the ICUs. More VR techniques are on the queue to facilitate medical practitioners. Higher accuracy levels are met with simulation exercises that mimic real-world situations. That allows HCPs to be better prepared for an emergency and unprecedented situation. Whether a tumor needs identification or a spinal surgery requires manpower, robotic surgery has become the new norm with advanced techniques in telemedicine. Companies like Intuitive Surgical da Vinci and Stryker have recently opted for robot-based surgery tools.
The user-immersion characteristics of the Metaverse are ideal for training medical personnel. Nowadays, tactile haptic controls are used in simulation training, such as giving learners an up-close view of a surgeon’s process. Video recordings of practice procedures can be used to validate exams. Interactive teaching modules that reinforce important ideas, such as VR, which may transport a student into the human. And offer a 360-degree perspective of a patient’s medical condition, have gained popularity.
With improved healthcare facilities, Metaverse will make it easier for patients and doctors to use medical wearables. Pulmonary Disease monitors, for example, can inform emergency personnel. And doctors to offer check-ups if a person has a COPD flare-up. Medical wearables are also expected to provide improved data to clinicians, augmenting virtual visits in the Virtual world with real-time and gathered data.
As websites such as Roblox have altered the perception of gamification. An increasing number of users are looking for opportunities to interact and engage with other users. Through such platforms, everyone may now fantasize, create, or have fun with pals. When it comes to healthcare, gaming is mostly used in wellness and fitness apps. Virtual reality has been used in smarter exercises and virtual teacher guidance.
Another type of digital health metaverse is the idea of digital twins that depict virtual representations of real-world things like organs, persons, and patient populations that may be utilized to provide data for medical decision-making. Digital twins are a type of synthetic data, which is intentionally manufactured information utilized in place of actual data. Though dissimilar to other types of synthetic data, digital twins are designed based on genuine things. And are frequently linked to their real-world alternates. With this hybrid relationship, digital twins are firmly planted in the metaverse.
Organ and muscle group digital twins are one type of healthcare digital twin. A company named Siemens Healthiness is the pioneer of cardiac digital twins. Which are intricate digital models of individual patients’ hearts that match their molecular structure and biological activity. Before making any real-world judgments, clinicians can take help from cardiac digital twins. To mimic how a patient’s heart might behave to drugs, surgeries, or catheter treatments.
With robust R&D chances are high that metaverse in medical care will take this sector to the peak of advancement while enabling safe havens for patients and doctors alike.