Virtual reality (VR) is the computer-generated simulation of a three-dimensional image or environment that can be interacted with in a seemingly real or physical way by a person using special electronic equipment, such as a helmet with a screen inside or gloves fitted with sensors

Oxford English Dictionary

Today applications of virtual reality (VR) are vast. From its humble beginnings in gaming VR is exponentially changing the way humans interact with the world. Healthcare is no exception, a recent cluster and network analysis found that surgery alone accounts for up to 7.7% of all VR academic research, other key areas in healthcare include psychology, neuroscience and outpatient therapies. Moreover, the recent appearance of low cost head-mounted displays (HMD’s) has made VR increasingly accessible and puts this technology in a unique position to succeed as a digital platform. 

Healthcare is poised for disruption, as we move towards patient-centred care, evidence-based medicine and competency-based education. VR shows great potential to be part of this transformation to ultimately streamline, optimise and personalise healthcare delivery in the interest of improved patient outcomes. 

This article looks at the ways in which VR can help be used in healthcare settings:

Virtual Reality for Education 

Virtual simulation was introduced to education in the early 1960s. Today most hospitals having a fully dedicated and equipped centre to deliver simulation-based teaching to healthcare professionals. VR is the natural progression of the already existing technologies, it can be used to improve technical skills but also cognitive skills such as decision making, and teamwork. The full immersion of a user into a computer generated environment allows healthcare professionals to be exposed to realistic scenarios in a low-risk environment where feedback and reflection can facilitate ongoing professional and personal development. This type of teaching has already been well-received and has consistently been shown to be superior to paper-based approaches. 

Virtual Reality for Psychological Therapies

Since its inception VR simulations have been used as psychological therapy for patients with PTSD and in the management of pain and anxiety.  Examples include Bravemind, an innovative exposure therapy programme that helps desenstise patients to fears. 

Virtual Reality for Perioperative Care

Multiple enterprises across the world are using VR to help personalise care. This is particularly true in surgery, today medical image data can be processed and projected into VR. This can give surgical teams 3D information that has not been made available until today. Using this data, surgeons can plan the best approaches for their patients. 

Virtual Reality for Public Health Promotion 

Public health promotion is a constant challenge for policymakers, healthcare professionals and local authorities.  VR could be a great way to engage the general public and educate users on lifestyle choices including sexual health promotion, smoking, smoking cessation, healthy eating and the importance of vaccinations. Further, VR can be used to educate users and teach them about life-saving procedures such as CPR, mental health first aid amongst others. 

This rather brief overview outlines the potential of VR in healthcare. In reality the potential application of VR is much greater.  Improvements in haptic technologies coupled with the intersection of VR with emerging technologies i.e. artificial intelligence, machine learning, haptics and big data analytics will be nothing short of revolutionary. As the educators, physicians, surgeons and dentists of tomorrow it is critical we remain open-minded to the potential effect these technologies can have on the care of our future patients. In the meantime, researchers and innovators must focus on generating a strong evidence base to ensure a smooth integration of VR into the delivery of clinical care.