The training of healthcare professionals, patient rehabilitation, and the treatment of psychological disorders are some of the main uses of Virtual Reality applied to health. According to all experts, health will be the sector that grows the most in the application of Virtual Reality in the coming years, second only to video games. A Goldman Sachs study predicts that in 9 years, virtual reality in health will generate revenues of 5.1 billion dollars.

In Spain, currently, the health sector ranks fifth in the application of virtual reality, as pointed out by the report prepared by The App Date. According to the Virtual Reality Report in Spain, the health sector represents 12% of the virtual reality projects in our country.

Although there is still a long way to go and much research to be done on Virtual Reality applied to health, it is clear that virtual reality is a technology with enormous applications in the field of medicine, both from the patient’s perspective and for the training of medical staff. In this article, we will analyze the main uses of VR in the health sector.

Virtual Reality used in patient care

We have distinguished 4 areas of application of patient-centered VR, they are as follows:

• Mental health treatments
• Patients’ rehabilitation
• Improvement of patients’ quality of life
• Diagnosis of diseases

1. MENTAL HEALTH TREATMENTS

Its application in psychiatry is known as virtual reality exposure therapy (VRET). In recent years, VRET has demonstrated its effectiveness in the treatment of phobias, but it can also be used to improve attention in people with ADHD and to reduce depression.

Scientific research identifies three main reasons for using Virtual Reality as a treatment for these conditions:

• Its effectiveness, which is greater than imagination and as effective as the live presentation technique.
• Its higher acceptance by patients compared to other exposure therapies.
• The personalization of the treatment, as virtual reality allows the practitioner to fully control the environment to which the patient is exposed.

2. PATIENT REHABILITATION

In the case of patients who have suffered a stroke, Virtual Reality is a cognitive and motor training that allows them to be exposed to real situations that they will have to face in their daily life after leaving the hospital. The results of the analysis suggest that rehabilitation supported by virtual reality is an effective therapeutic complement for the rehabilitation of gait and motor function of the upper extremity.

3. IMPROVEMENT OF THE QUALITY OF LIFE

Virtual reality allows patients to escape from their condition and even improve their tolerance to certain treatments. Studies have shown that cancer patients who receive virtual reality relaxation sessions experience reduced anxiety and overall improved tolerance to chemotherapy, as well as a decrease in emotional distress. Virtual reality sessions are also effective in pain management for certain patients. These sessions are considered a distraction therapy that helps to reduce anxiety.

In this area, we can also discuss other uses of virtual reality. In the case of hospitalized children, it helps them to escape and can even be used for them to communicate with their families. It is also useful for experimentation, allowing people with disabilities to explore environments and experiences they couldn’t experience due to their limitations.

4. DIAGNOSIS OF DISEASES

Virtual Reality also allows patients to be immersed in a virtual environment where certain types of functional tests can be conducted, which can help diagnose diseases. This has been demonstrated by scientists from Tomsk Polytechnic University and Siberian State Medical University in Russia, who have developed an experimental system for the early diagnosis of neurodegenerative diseases.

Virtual Reality applied to healthcare professionals

But we must not forget that virtual reality applied to medicine can also help improve the skills of healthcare professionals. Through virtual simulators, they can perform complex operations or surgeries without risk to the patient. Additionally, thanks to virtual reality, scientists can delve into the organs and different parts of the human body to see the inside of our organism in a unique way and enhance their understanding of its behavior.

According to Dr. Sergio Vañó, President of AIES and coordinator of the Medical Technologies Unit at IRYCIS: “In the past year, there has been a multiplication of studies demonstrating a relationship between the training of healthcare professionals with virtual reality, especially in surgical techniques, and a significant improvement in outcomes with real cases.”

Example of Virtual Reality in medicine

At Innoarea, we developed a virtual reality application for the practice and training of autopsies. Through this application for Meta Quest 2 goggles, students could experience different situations that enhance the teaching of pathological anatomy. This project includes hand tracking, eliminating the need for controllers. Additionally, it features properly structured content and error detection to ensure correct training progression.

You can learn more about the project here.