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