The Metaverse has brought about countless innovations to almost every domain of science. One such domain that’s bound to benefit from the Metaverse is the world of medicine and health care. 

With quite a few problems to solve, from the inability to access health care at reasonable rates, geographic limitations, and a lack of pre-emptive diagnostics, here are a few ways the Metaverse can (and already is) aid in medical innovation.

Virtual Training

With the help of VR and AR, medical professionals can perform complicated surgeries and operations for training. In the status quo, most medical professionals spend years before they can be considered experienced enough for live surgery.

With virtual training, senior medical professionals can vet aspiring surgeons and doctors while also providing them with necessary training without the risk of harming an actual live surgery. 

In broader terms, Curusicope’s Virtuali-Tee is an AR t-shirt that allows users to examine the inside of a human body similar to that of an anatomy dissection laboratory allowing for better learning.  

Virtual Counseling

Online counseling or tele counseling is already being used around the globe, which helps surpass geographic limitations allowing reasonable access to therapy for millions around the globe.

With the advent of VR, a patient and a therapist can use two-way communication alongside VR sessions to emulate a real-life therapy session. This can also be for group therapy sessions within the Metaverse allowing for multiple individuals to attend a joint session at the same time.

Data Visualization

Medical and patient records are often kept in journals, physical papers, and video and audio logs. While these are proven to be efficient in certain scenarios, the Metaverse can help culminate scattered information into one virtual medium which is easier to access regardless of geographical distance.

For instance, your physician, with the help of AI, can immediately glance over your entire medical record and history alongside viewing or listening to any necessary audio and video logs without needing to resort to physical copies.

Ease in Surgery

Surgeons have to go through multiple years of practice, from being an assistant to eventually being the lead surgeon. During their time learning, they’ll have to undergo a lot of training where mistakes can occur, which can quickly turn into a life-threatening condition for the patient.

Therefore, it is of paramount importance that technologies in the Metaverse help budding surgeons practice without risking a patient’s life. To that front, an intelligence operation theatre at Seoul National University (SNU) uses a six-lens VR camera alongside a projection system that helps users see structures such as lymph nodes, blood vessels, nerves, and various other pathologies without actually opening up the patient.

This helps both presiding surgeons and assistants quickly get an idea of a patient’s condition and also helps the patient in understanding their own surgery so that they have an opinion of their own about the procedure.

Conclusion

It’s quite clear that technologies that exist within the Metaverse are producing a paradigm shift in the world of medicine and health. With medical students now being able to practice in virtual spaces, tele counseling, and audio-visual therapy turning into reality, the Metaverse has helped increase the quality of life for both patients and practitioners alike.