Virtual reality isn’t just for fun and games. It’s an incredibly useful tool in many industries, including medicine. VR’s ability to provide immersive, interactive environments to help medical professionals with learning and treatment is a game changer for medical training and therapy.
VR allows students and healthcare professionals to practice procedures and further their skills in a controlled, safe environment by providing realistic simulations. VR also offers solutions for specialties like pain management, physical rehabilitation, and mental health. The growing adoption of VR in medicine shows how effective it is in reducing costs and improving patient care and overall quality of care.
The history of VR in medical training
The first introduction of VR in the medical field was back in the 1990s as basic surgical simulations. They allowed surgical trainees to “do” surgery in a virtual environment. But, limitations like bulky equipment and poor graphics reduced the usefulness of the technology.
Thirty years of technological advancements have brought more advanced, interactive, and immersive VR experiences, making the technology more practical in medicine. Today’s VR headsets like Oculus Rift, Meta Quest, and HTC Vive have high-resolution displays, improved comfort, and precise motion tracking.
Software advancements also played a big role. With realistic simulations of surgical procedures, anatomy, and patient interactions, VR medical training software helps train students to deal with real-world cases through hands-on experience.
Benefits of VR in medical training
Virtual reality simulations enhance medical and nursing education and help students of all levels to train, learn, and improve their skills.
Better learning experience
Although textbooks provide medical students with a wealth of knowledge, hands-on and experiential learning allows students to apply concepts practically, which improves learning. Virtual reality is a hybrid of these learning styles, allowing medical trainees to interact with realistic scenarios.
By allowing the practice of complex procedures in a risk-free environment, VR reduces the chances of students making mistakes in real-life scenarios. This can boost their confidence and competence in doing procedures. VR also allows students to simulate hands-on experience with critical or rare cases they may not see in their medical training. Bridging the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical applications, VR enhances the learning experience for medical students to understand information better.
The numbers speak for themselves when it comes to how effective virtual reality technology is in medical training. For example, a recent study on laparoscopic surgery training showed that 87% of participants had better accuracy in real life after using VR.
Another study on students’ perception of VR in medical education found that 90% of students who were surveyed felt that VR tools benefited them. 70% also agreed that VR encourages more student-centric learning. According to Harvard Business Review, VR training has improved participants’ overall surgical performance by 230% compared to traditional medical training.
Real-time feedback and assessment
VR training provides medical trainees with real-time feedback so they can know what went wrong with their technique and make adjustments for their virtual patients. Real-time feedback is a crucial step in learning complex procedures and improving both technical and soft skills.
While VR prepares students to engage with real-life practice and surgical training, it also lets them practice their soft skills to communicate with their patients. A big part of a healthcare professional’s job is to know how to speak to patients in routine and emergency situations.
VR systems track detailed performance metrics like speed, accuracy, and decision-making to provide personalized feedback and thorough assessment. This reporting helps trainees identify areas for improvement and enables educators to tailor their teaching to each individual’s needs to improve learning outcomes.
Applications of VR in medical training
VR technology offers immersive learning benefits in various medical fields from physiology and anatomy education to emergency response training.
Surgical training
Practicing complicated surgical techniques on real patients isn’t ideal. However, virtual reality training allows students to practice complex surgical procedures in a risk-free environment.
VR simulation tools for surgery, like Osso VR and da Vinci Surgical System, provide students with realistic, immersive learning experiences mimicking real-life surgeries. These systems allow trainees to practice in a controlled environment while getting instant notes and assessments of their performance. Using VR equipment reduces the chances of trainees making mistakes in real-world scenarios by improving their precision and confidence, ultimately leading to better patient outcomes.
Emergency response training
Medical professionals have to make quick decisions in critical situations. Virtual reality training allows students to simulate scenarios like trauma cases and natural disasters to hone their skills in high-pressure situations. Practicing clinical decision-making in a high-stakes virtual environment allows trainees to make mistakes through experiential learning without worrying about patient safety.
Repeating and practicing these scenarios improves students’ teamwork skills, response times, and decision-making and boosts their confidence. Once in the field, these trained medical professionals are better equipped to handle emergency cases.
Anatomy and physiology education
Anatomy and physiology are two of the most challenging and mundane parts of medical education. Virtual reality tools make this process easier and more interactive by immersing trainees in interactive 3D models and virtual dissections.
Using digital representations of the human body helps trainees understand its complex systems and structures to improve understanding and information retention. VR platforms like 3D Organon and BodyVR bring the body to life by allowing the manipulation of anatomical components, hands-on dissections, and real-time observation of physiological processes.
VR in medical therapy
In addition to training and medical education, virtual reality supplements medical therapies like pain management and physical rehabilitation.
Physical rehabilitation
Virtual reality is used in physical therapy and rehabilitation to help patients recover their motor skills. Patients engage in a virtual environment filled with immersive, interactive exercises to recover or improve coordination and movement.
MindMotionPro, REAL System, and other VR programs allow patients to perform target activities ranging from reaching for objects to walking on different terrains. These programs motivate patients and lead to better treatment plan adherence. They also provide real-time feedback to care providers so they can adjust treatment dynamically. VR makes the process of regaining functional abilities faster, more effective, and even more fun.
Mental health treatment
Therapists use VR to create controlled yet engaging virtual environments for mental health treatment. Exposure therapy via VR platforms helps individuals with anxiety disorders and PTSD confront their triggers in a safe environment with their therapist. A recent study showed that 88.9% of therapists feel that telehealth reduces barriers, 61.1% believe it enhances therapy, and 66.7% adapted their exposure therapy to include VR tools. Programs like Limbix and Bravemind put patients in simulations of anxiety-inducing situations or traumatic events. These simulations help them process and desensitize to these experiences under professional supervision and guidance. During the COVID-19 pandemic, VR allowed for a continuation of psychological care while patients still followed social distancing guidelines, proving the value of the technology.
Pain management
Virtual reality tools reduce pain intensity and provide distractions, making them effective for pain management. Some examples of using VR tools for these applications include mindfulness practices, guided meditation and imagery, and cognitive behavioral therapy. The FDA is approving VR and augmented reality tools for treating patients in areas like neurological disorders, pediatric diagnostics and treatment, pain management, and more.
For example, the FDA studied the EaseVRx treatment program and found that 66% of study participants had more than a 30% reduction in pain. Another study and systematic review found VR can reduce both chronic and acute pain, with more than an hour of lasting pain relief after VR exposure.
Challenges and limitations
As with most new technologies in their early stages, virtual reality platforms for nursing, medical education, and actual therapies have limitations and challenges.
Cost and accessibility
The cost of VR equipment and software is challenging for medical therapy and training applications. Advanced VR headsets and simulation software are expensive and may limit access to these tools to only well-funded institutions. However, the cost of implementing a VR platform depends on the system’s scope on a per-facility basis.
Research on the cost of VR medical training is challenging to find. For example, comparing the cost of a live hospital evacuation drill to a virtual reality drill shows that VR has more expensive upfront costs. The live drill cost the hospital $230 per participant, while the VR version cost $330. After three years of repeating the drill, the cost per VR drill participant dropped to $115.
There are also major accessibility issues in regions or organizations with limited financial resources and existing technological infrastructures. These barriers may prevent healthcare facilities from accessing or using VR programs.
Technical issues
The technical side of VR platforms faces the same issues as other technologies: hardware malfunctions and software glitches. These issues and outages can cause disruptions to training and therapy, which reduces the effectiveness of the technology. Organizations must make sure their systems are up-to-date, well-maintained, and compatible with the latest technology. The hardware components of VR systems, like headsets and gloves, also require repairs and replacements over time due to wear and tear. More complex systems require even more robust technical support and upgrades.
Resistance to adoption
Medical staff and students have a lot on their plates. Resistance to VR in training and therapy is common in the medical field. Many professionals are set in their ways and traditional methods and are skeptical of new tech. The cost, effectiveness, and existing system integrations also contribute to hesitation.
To introduce an organization to VR, stakeholders should provide comprehensive training and awareness programs about the technology. Addressing user concerns with hands-on experience and demonstrations of the technology’s practical applications through training facilitates broader adoption of VR.
Future of VR in medicine
The future of virtual reality technology and medical applications is full of innovation and growth.
AI
The integration of artificial intelligence with virtual reality in medical applications is huge. AI can improve VR programs by creating even more adaptive and sophisticated simulations to improve the effectiveness and realism of training programs for students.
AI-powered simulations can also customize training programs to each student, individual performance evaluation and feedback. In medical therapy situations, VR can predict and simulate complex medical scenarios to provide more in-depth and dynamic training experiences.
Expansion of VR curriculum
Expanding the use of virtual reality in medicine could make it a standard part of training and education curriculums. Some institutions in the US are already launching pilot programs to test the feasibility of VR in their curriculums.
Stanford University is currently piloting VR to teach anatomy to medical students in Kenya. The university also built the Stanford Neurological Simulation and Virtual Reality Center to apply VR in neurosurgery clinics, operating rooms, and classrooms. These applications mean a future where VR is an essential tool in medical education globally.
Conclusion
Virtual reality’s highly immersive and interactive nature is already transforming medical training and therapies. This will only expand in usability and use cases across the medical industry, improving the learning experience for students and patient outcomes. Despite the challenges of VR like high cost, tech problems, and accessibility limits, ongoing research and pilot programs are showing positive results. AI and other future advancements will mean a full-blown revolution in medical education and therapies. A real game changer, the future of virtual reality in the medical field is endless.
FAQs
What is VR in Medical Training?
VR in medical training means using VR platforms and technology to create immersive, interactive simulations. Professionals can use VR to practice procedures, develop skills, and learn new ones in a risk-free environment.
How does VR improve medical training?
VR improves and enhances medical training by providing students with a risk-free environment where they can practice and learn without consequence. VR platforms also provide real-time feedback to improve learning outcomes. For example, students can use VR to simulate an emergency room situation to practice their critical decision and communication skills.
What are the challenges of using VR in medical training?
Cost, accessibility, and technical issues are the main challenges of using VR tools in medical training applications. The hardware and software components of these systems are expensive, which limits accessibility. Resistance to adoption is also a challenge. But, comprehensive training programs can mitigate this.
Can VR be used for therapy?
VR is a very useful tool in therapy settings, including mental health, pain management, and physical rehabilitation. In mental health therapy, for example, therapists use VR to immerse PTSD patients into their triggers to help them confront their fears in a totally safe and controlled environment.
What is the future of VR in medicine?
The future of VR in medicine will include even more enhancements by integrating with new technologies like AI and more personalized training for students. Medical education and research programs will eventually make VR a standard part of curriculums.
