What is Virtual Reality?

Virtual Reality (VR) is created when computer technology meets simulation. This relatively new form of experience technology allows for the user to be immersed in a three-dimensional world as opposed to the typical viewpoint of a two-dimensional screen. Not only are they able to view things within the simulation, but in some VR technology, they can also interact with external content within the 3D world.

While VR is most commonly used in the entertainment industry, it has made recent breakthroughs in healthcare with the use of Therapeutic Virtual Reality. With therapeutic virtual reality, patients can utilize computer-generated technology to ease pain, anxiety, or help communicate a complex procedure.

How VR is Used in Healthcare

The introduction of VR technology will continue to change the global landscape for the healthcare industry and create positive patient experiences for years to come.

Let’s take a look at a few of the other ways that VR is being utilized in healthcare.

• Surgical Collaboration
  For surgical cases, VR is making a considerable impact, offering collaboration capabilities to surgeons looking to navigate difficult surgeries like brain surgery. Via linked headsets, surgeons can now interact in a simulation created from patient brain scans. This will create numerous opportunities for surgeons everywhere, but it will also mean patients spend less time under anesthesia, which can often mean less anxiety and faster post-recovery times.

• Recovery Processes
  As a rehabilitation therapy, VR has become a formidable force, providing patients suffering from a brain injury, memory loss, Alzheimer’s, or spectrum disorders with a rehabilitation experience that offers a more enjoyable and comfortable experience.

• Patients with PTSD
  Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy (VRET) is a new form of therapy, created by Medical VR, that helps patients through their mental health issues like PTSD with exposure therapies, stressor confrontation, and trauma care in a completely safe environment.

Benefits of VR in Healthcare

• Better Patient Experience
  VR pain management therapies work to lower pain level or discomfort in patients, thus minimizing the amount of pain medication prescribed and reducing healthcare costs. VR pain management works like this: While immersed in a VR experience, patients are typically distracted, either by a fun game, a soothing environment, or an audio simulation, that helps calm them and reduce their need for external pain blockers like strong medication.

• Advanced Physical Therapy
  VR can also work as a therapeutic tool for patients in need of advanced physical therapy (this includes PTSD patients, agoraphobic patients, and those suffering from addictions). A Physical Therapy VR session gears toward calming activities such as beach locations, sunsets, park setting, and rain that is designed to focus a patient’s mind on soothing experiences.

• Healthcare Education
  VR is not only an acclaimed tool for patient care, but also for clinicians in their study of healthcare. VR can replicate similar emergency training experiences and surgical procedures that can better help emerging professionals better understand injuries, therapies, and treatments.

Mixed Reality Reference Architectures by MBX

From hardware design and manufacturing to supply chain and logistics management, the entire product deployment process can be seamlessly executed, allowing you to stay completely focused on product innovation with hardware solutions for Mixed Reality from MBX.

MBX is your trusted partner in developing mixed reality technology, bringing together the most innovative and strategic hardware minds to integrate the right technology and execute it flawlessly, every time.

For more information on hardware systems for Virtual Reality, contact us today!