How Metaverse Will Revamp the Healthcare Dynamics

Metaverse is a simulated virtual world that exactly replicates the real world. In this augmented virtual world, people can represent themselves as digital avatar and can do any kind of activities in the 3D digital spaces. Most industries are already started to integrate Metaverse into their business to offer a unique and mesmerizing experience to their customers. Now, the Healthcare domain too joined hands with the Metaverse to unleash its full potential. Metaverse for Healthcare will bring a disruptive revolution in diverse aspects of life and offers broad opportunities to transform the Healthcare sector in many ways.

Metaverse for Healthcare:

Metaverse in Healthcare incorporates various advanced technologies that include Virtual reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), the Internet of Medical Devices, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Blockchain technology, and Robotics. A convergence of Metaverse and Healthcare pledges to revolutionize the medical processes and allows patients to interact with Physicians from the comfort of home. Three major channels drive the Metaverse to make a huge impact on Healthcare.

1. Telepresence
2. Digital Twinning
3. Blockchain

Each of these technologies has the potential to transform Healthcare by delivering various treatments, lowering costs, and significantly improving the health and well-being of the patient.

1. Telepresence

The technology of Telemedicine and Telepresence has been effective for remote locations as it provides various benefits like primary care, medical and surgical practice, major crisis, and disaster recovery or management. The physicians can provide remote treatment and even surgical procedures with the help of Telepresence in Metaverse. Virtual reality is the next level of evolution in Healthcare as it provides in-person interaction than other digital environments like websites, medical messaging apps, or any other social media. Telepresence consultations offer many advantages to patients as they can get treated by physicians from any physical location without traveling.

2. Digital Twinning

A digital twin is a virtual simulation or replication of the physical object, people, process, or service that is developed using real-world data. Digital twins help to build virtual representations of human physiology, hospital environments, healthcare data, and many more through computer models. The digital twin of the patient in the virtual world could be himself. It helps to determine the best treatment by testing every known medicine for the patient’s illness.

It also helps to identify any issues or inefficiencies quickly to save money, time, effort, and lives. These digital representations enable spotting bed deficits, staff schedules, optimizing patient care, and creating a safe environment. Twinning the human body and modeling the fully functioning clone of an individual's internal systems, physiological characters, and genomic makeup helps to enhance medical care and patient treatment.

3. Block Chain

Block Chain is one of the most essential needs to create healthcare in Metaverse. Metaverse uses Smart contracts to control decentralized communities democratically. It helps to verify the identity and digital ownership records of objects and environments in the virtual world. The most remarkable use case of blockchain in healthcare is securing and overseeing the highly precious health data in the blockchain. Blockchain technology is used to protect and transfer patient data in a transparent and safe way across physicians, hospitals, and laboratories globally. It helps healthcare organizations to gain insight and strengthen the analysis of the medical record.

Potential applications of Metaverse in Healthcare:

Metaverse can provide more unified treatment programs that help to enhance patient experiences and outcomes. There are diverse use cases of Metaverse in the field of healthcare.

1. Mental Health

The use of virtual reality in 3D digital space can positively impact behavior & mood and helps to get rid of stress. There are several organizations are looking to opt for Metaverse to revolutionize the mental health treatment landscape. Mental health disorders like anxiety-related disorders, attention deficit hyperactivity disorders (ADHD), hallucinations, phobias, and many other issues can administer with the Metaverse.

2. Medical Education and Training

Virtual reality and augmented reality offer unlimited resources for the practical procedures of surgeries. In the real world, the medical training procedures for the dissection of cadavers are expensive. While the use of virtual reality helps students to train individuals in the simulated space of a virtual cadaver which is cost-effective. It also enhances the visualizations and refines the effect of technical capabilities and performance of the surgical trainees.

3. Surgical Procedures

Metaverse offers the creation of surgical plans to perform more complex surgical procedures. Metaverse allows surgeons to practice surgery on the patient’s digital twin before attempting the actual physical surgery. Trail surgery in Metaverse helps the surgeon to plan the use of instruments, the insertion angle, and implants torque levels with higher dexterous grasping ability. It also helps to create critical clinical notes and mitigate any possible risks. Other staff in the surgical team like nurses and anesthesiologists can make use of this to replicate the process to ensure speed, minimize risks, etc.

4. Fitness and Physical Therapy

Next to gaming, fitness is the second most used application in the Metaverse. Metaverse offers personalized drills with the assistance of virtual instructors. The therapists can quantify the metrics like torque, balance, and the range of motion in 3D capabilities. Metaverse attracts patients to participate in physical therapy effectively from remote locations and provides some unique and immersive experiences with quick and positive outcomes.

Expect tremendous transformation of Healthcare in future

Metaverse creates an immersive experience with limitless possibilities for patients by eliminating geographical constraints. It also helps healthcare professionals with training, planning, concurrent education, and other medical operations practice. Consider developing a business model with vast features like reimbursements, medical insurance, and prescriptions in the digital world. Metaverse offers a diverse range of benefits in Healthcare and will improve the industry in the future.