AR-VR Can Be The Healthcare Game Changer
Augmented and Virtual Realities can help bridge distances between patients and doctors by virtually replicating real life scenarios.360degree video-capability headsets go far beyond textbooks and videos in providing a life-like learning environment
In the television serial The Good Doctor, there’s an interesting scene, where surgical residents practice surgery on body part models connected to simulators—a wrong move and the computer beeps an alarm. This cannot be completely attributed to the screenwriter’s imagination—it is a scene that is actually being played out in hospitals and medical colleges in the developed world, where doctors use cutting edge technology not just as diagnostic aids but also in learning and training.
New age tech offers tremendous potential to strengthen healthcare systems and no better example can be found than AR-VR—Augmented and Virtual reality. AR-VR are technologies that use a wearable headset to provide an immersive experience where the user can interact with virtual objects. The
difference between the two is that VR takes the user into a full computer- generated virtual environment, whereas AR augments the real world scene by overlaying virtual objects. Together they form the world of Mixed Reality (called MR or, sometimes, XR).
Rising demand across all verticals
The most prominent use of AR-VR can be found in the entertainment and gaming sectors but the applications in healthcare, tourism, retail etc. are burgeoning. A recent Gartner report suggests that 100 million consumers will leverage AR for purchases by 2020. The estimated market for VR alone is expected to touch US$ 30 billion by 2020. Another report values the potential of AR-VR even higher, estimating a 73.3% CAGR over the next six years that will take the market to over US$ 60-70 billion by 2025. India is very much a player in the mixed reality market— estimated at US$ 0.55billion currently. The Indian immersive market is expected to grow to US$ 6.5 billion in the next three years.
Transformative potentialin healthcare
AR-VR applications are particularly apt for healthcare as they enable an immersive, true-toreality environment that can provide a transformative impact on the fields of medical diagnostics, therapeutic treatments and training. Headsets that provide 360- degree videos go far beyond textbooks and videos in providing a life-like learning environment. AR-VR can even help bridge distances between patients and doctors by virtually replicating real life scenarios.
Thus, AR-VR can be a health industry gamechanger in two crucial areas—improving quality and enabling access. These technologies have the potential to play a transformative role in a country like India, where access to quality healthcare can be challenging. India’s remote rural areas are typically plagued with lack of facilities and trained personnel.
Risk-free life-like learning experiences
Three to four years ago, surgeons at the Royal London Hospital used VR to live stream a surgery, giving viewers a virtual place at the surgeon table with live inputs from the surgeon himself. VR based programs take medical training to another level.
One of the advantages is that multiple real-life scenarios can be simulated to give realistic learning experiences that are also risk-free. Students are able to learn under the safest and yet most life-like learning environment. Second, it offers better skilling facilities to a wider range of healthcare personnel such as nurses, paramedics, healthcare equipment, technicians etc.
VR based training can simulate diverse patient conditions and environments. For this reason, VRbased training can also prove to be cost effective in the long term by improving patient care as well as clinical outcomes. In India, Kerala-based Tiltlabs builds VR-based training modules. For the healthcare sector, the company makes Magnetic Resonance Imagining (MRI) scanning demonstration videos. Chennai based start-up TNQ InGage is developing immersive for the healthcare sector in the training and rehabilitation domain.
Holoportation: A boon for rural patients
One of India’s biggest healthcare challenges is that rural patients residing in rural areas often have to travel long distances to reach a specialized or tertiary health facility. Several players have tried mobile units and telemedicine to bridge this gap. AR-VR tech can help efface the geographical gap by enabling medical professionals to virtually interact with patients. A head mounted device worn by the patient allows the doctor to have a virtual ‘face-to-face’ consultation. Another high tech application is ‘holoportation’ that allows doctors to ‘virtually visit’ a patient’s home. A live example of this is Silver Chain Group, which has worked with Saab, Australia to develop a solution for remote consultation with the doctor using ‘holoportation’.
Helping with phobias and dealing with PTSD
Not surprisingly, AR-VR can have an impact in treatment and counselling for psychological disorders. It has been used to help children with autism to gradually deal with and overcome fears
of the external world. It can also help treat phobias by giving the patient systematic exposure to the environment that triggers anxiety. Patients who resist the real world can use AR-VR for a controlled exposure. According a 2018 study, addition of VRbased personalized cognitive behavioral therapy can significantly reduce momentary anxiety in patients with a psychotic disorder. AR-VR has also proved effective in treating depression and PTSD (PostTraumatic Stress Disorder).
Distraction therapies for pain management
An interesting use of AR-VR solutions is in pain management. AR-VR environments can offer a high degree of distraction as compared to classical solutions, such as music. VR-based distraction therapies have shown that patients experience reduced pain levels by as much as half. The real life scenarios that beam through the headset can affect the brain’s neural pathways much like reallife experiences. This can have an impact almost equal to pain medication and is a great solution to mitigate dependence on opioids and other addictive medications.
Transitioning to assisted-living facilities
AR-VR can play a strong role in elderly care management. The developed world offers assisted living facilities, but senior citizens often face anxiety about moving out of their homes into a new environment. This transition can be made smoother through AR-VR solutions. For example, US-based startup Rendever provides personalized experiences to senior citizens by combining VR with reminiscence therapy. The platform allows seniors to virtually visit places that they have wanted to. VR- enabled assisted living homes have been able to significantly improve the resident happiness levels.
Tech biggies already on the bandwagon
With the vast potential of the virtual world, it’s no wonder that most of the big tech players have come up with AR-VR platforms. Microsoft, Sony Corporation, HTC, Samsung and Amazon are leading the pack but other big players include Unity 3D, OpenVR, Unreal, Vuforia, Google VR, Amazon Sumerian, ARCore and Apple’s ARKit. Many of the top performing AR-VR solutions are based on open source software, making them more affordable as well as easier and faster to adapt to different uses.
Many AR-VR companies have developed healthcare specific applications, such as healthcare IT and imaging solutions company Novarad’s OpenSight AR system for use in pre- operative surgical planning. This system is based on the Microsoft Hololens platform. EcoPixel is another company that provides a mixed reality platform for surgical imaging.
Training to prevent data breaches
With healthcare going digital, the issues of data security and privacy arise in the AR-VR space as well. Companies offering AR-VR solutions need to ensure that there is no leak of sensitive data such as behavioral information, body measurements, and so on. Data that can be used to breach facial recognition or retinal scan security is especially at risk. There is also a physical risk that comes from patients wearing headsets and experiencing an unfamiliar immersive experience. It is vital to prevent any incidents or injuries that arise out of AR-VR solutions. This calls for rigorous training of personnel and proper operating procedures to be followed.
Level playing field for healthcare access
There is much that AR-VR brings to the field of healthcare. It is perhaps the ideal training tool—it can simulate real life situations, stimulate learning behaviors and provide experiential upskilling. It can create a level playing field for healthcare access, by bridging geographic distances and providing an accurate touchpoint between doctor and patient. In diagnostics and clinical treatment, it is a tool that can address some of India’s biggest constraints in healthcare. Clearly, with its virtual world solutions, AR-VR can take India several steps ahead in offering better healthcare.
Piyush is a distinguished engineer and Ninad is a Principal Engineer with Optum Global Solutions