The Health Craze that is Virtual Reality

As technology advances and new insights are discovered, more time is being spent in the medical community trying to find the most cutting-edge and efficient ways to treat patients. VR (Virtual Reality) is a tracking 3D near-eye display used to give the user an interactive virtual sense of a digital reality. In recent years, VR simulations have been used in the medical field to help doctors better understand what their patients are going through. VR can stimulate illnesses like dementia, Parkinson’s disease, or a migraine headache, prompting the doctor to empathize with what the patient is enduring. According to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, “The advanced VR tool is being used by George Washington University in neurosurgery and thoracic surgery which allows doctors to virtually explore a patient’s brain and body before performing a procedure.” As a result, surgical effectiveness and situational awareness are improved. In advance, operations can also be better translated to patients and their families. In comparison to conventional training, VR training increased participants’ overall surgical performance by 230%, according to a Harvard Business Review study. This illustrates how the VR system can be used in a beneficial way because not only does it allow patients and their loved ones to understand the nuanced nature that comes with surgery, but it also boosts doctors’ efficacy when conducting procedures. UConn Heath is a branch at the University of Connecticut that has also explored the VR tool and how it can further develop medicinal achievements. UConn Health uses the VR training tools from PrecisionOS and Oculus (virtual reality surgery training and stimulators) to instruct its orthopedic surgery residents. This not only offers surgeons priceless opportunities for practice, but it also saves time and money because certain procedures can only be performed by residents on cadavers once in traditional practice. To conclude, Virtual Reality can be used for more than fun. As new technical advancements are made, medicine will continue to expand and allow our doctors to better help us.