Virtual Reality (VR) & Medicine?
Virtual Reality (VR) is a computer-generated environment that provides the user with a three-dimensional image on a screen. It allows users to interact with virtual environments. Virtual reality uses electronic equipment that views a 3D screen, such as a headset with a screen, 3D glasses, and gloves with sensors, to make the environment appear physical or real.
The biggest advantage of virtual reality is cost savings and significant risk reduction. An example of virtual reality is digital car racing games. It allows players to virtually experience the speed, sounds, and sensations of driving without the risk of crashing at high speed.
Using virtual reality, medical information can be presented in an interactive and user-friendly way, helping patients better understand their bodies, different conditions, and potential treatments.
Additionally, VR is used to simulate medical procedures and show patients what to expect before undergoing surgery or other treatments and is used in medical education by displaying common scenarios and situations that can occur in real-world environments. Most of the world’s major hospitals and medical schools have implemented VR applications to train specialists, perform surgeries, and provide telemedicine training.
Source Article: Researching the application of virtual reality in medical education: one-year follow-up of a randomized trial
Recommended Readings:
- Effects of Medical Education Program Using Virtual Reality: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
- Virtual Reality for Emergency Medicine Training in Medical School: Prospective, Large-Cohort Implementation Study
- Reporting the early stage clinical evaluation of virtual–reality-based intervention trials: RATE-VR
