A New Reality

[Music]

video games

almost all of us have played them but

have you

ever felt like you weren’t completely

immersed in the game

i have and it left me wondering

what could be done to solve this

well thanks to engineers a new

technology has come up

called virtual reality or vr to allow

you

to be transported into the game or world

itself

my name is sarvesh agarwal and today

i’m going to be talking about how vr can

be

implemented into healthcare to benefit

the industry

virtual reality is basically using

computer technology

to create a simulated environment

in normal 2d games you’re outside the

game

with vr you’re placed inside the game

and are able to interact with 3d worlds

by stimulating our five senses

it essentially functions as a gatekeeper

cracking open the door

for you to enter artificial worlds

limited only by your imagination

so how do we fully open this figurative

door

well our senses allow us to make sense

of the world around us

if vr is able to take more of our senses

and integrate them into the virtual

environment

it’ll add a sense of realism and the

more realistic it feels

the more we feel like we’re a part of it

and the more we lose track

of where we actually are let’s

understand the science behind this

our brain first carries an input from

the sensory organs

such as the eyes ears and skin to make

sense of our environment

what happens next is that our brain

actually processes this information

allowing one to further comprehend one’s

surroundings

it is this processing of information

that vr can influence

allowing one to escape into new reality

now that we have a grasp as to how vr

works

we can dive into how it can be used to

help the world around us

specifically in healthcare one of the

most challenging aspects of healthcare

is managing patients and vr can be used

to help said patients take a break or a

recess if you will

from the painful reality they’re living

in to escape into a new

and more comfortable one recent research

suggests that vr can safely and

effectively reduce severe pain in

hospitalized patients

this is done both psychologically in

cases such as ptsd

and by actually manipulating the pain

receptors in the brain

in a recent pilot study patients

undergoing surgery at st

george’s hospital had the option to use

a vr headset prior to

and during their operation every single

one of those participants

reported that their overall hospital

experience was

improved by wearing the headset while a

whopping

94 percent said that they felt more

relaxed

moreover 80 percent said that they felt

less pain after wearing the headset

highlighting the extent to which vr can

help with caring for patients

these statistics show that the majority

of patients

benefited from vr by making their

hospital

stay more enjoyable and by reducing the

pain they felt during

and even after their procedures

furthermore other than hospital settings

vr can also be used for therapeutic

applications

in the medical world

vijay ravindern founder of florio

created a platform to teach

communication and social skills

to people with autism traditional

therapy

is delivered in an office or in the home

in a pretty constrained environment

revenue explains

in virtual reality we can create

environments to suit the situation

amidst the current kovin-19 pandemic the

merits of

implementing vr technology have only

become more apparent

some healthcare providers are searching

for ways

to implement vr technology to

communicate with patients

and encourage more personalized

treatment especially given

the recent aversion to physical contact

dr samuel browd professor of

neurological surgery at the university

of washington

and co-founder of proprio a surgical

navigation technology company

says that the systems were limited to

niche applications

such as patient education before surgery

until recently but he notes

that they’re going exponentially as

clinical teams

adapt to the realities of covet 19.

this technology can be used to help

patients

break free from the isolation they’re

facing to interact with family and

friends

this patient this technology can also be

used

to help patients simulate environments

where they interact with their loved

ones this aids with their overall

psychological health

and makes for a faster and smoother

recovery

says gusepa riva study author and

professor of general psychology

in a recently published italian paper

researchers look

at the ways interactive vr videos of a

virtual garden

can resolve the various psychological

effects of quarantining at home

such as tension and isolation

they postulate that using vr can teach

you how to be more conscious

and provide a secure and relaxed setting

to reflect

and be alone in the morning

during the day and every other time you

feel nervous during the day

such as before bed they recommend

spending time

in a relaxing vr setting think a virtual

garden or a beach

riva says we describe who we are in the

memory of individuals

and incidents that have happened in the

various places we visit

but we can no longer go to the places

that define our everyday life

and make sense of our identity during

the quarantine

even our homes may feel unrecognizable

or out of control

vr provides a secure and calm digital

place

where you can reflect on your situation

issues and opportunities

dr albert rizzo the director of medical

vr

at the usc institute for innovative

technologies

says that interactive vr simulations

including those using a vr headset may

be emotionally evocative

he claims right now heading to

and using virtual reality can help you

develop

relaxation strategies to cope with

cova-19 anxiety

and allow a bit of escapism

in the meantime healthcare providers

may search for and consider launching vr

programs

for self-guided rehabilitation exercises

and treating chronic pain as patients

remain in isolation

says adrian lowe a co-founder of the

international spine

and pain institute

virtual care at least hybrid models of

in-person

and virtual will likely be a common

place going forward low says

forward thinking systems should consider

having a fleet of vr headsets

at their disposal for a variety of

applications

all things considered virtual reality

is evidently a concept worth exploring

from helping patients alleviate pain to

allowing them to connect with others

virtually this technology

allows for patients to feel more

comfortable and more relaxed

furthermore the use of virtual reality

has exponentially advanced in other

fields

so why can’t we do the same in

healthcare

in the coming years when this technology

advances

even further the possibilities

and the lives that could be saved are

endless

and while other sectors may benefit from

vr

i believe implementing it in healthcare

could be one of the most successful and

significant uses

of vr in the coming future thank you