The role of technology in medicine has been increasing recently. Longevity Live Paid Content.
Moreover, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and augmented reality tools offer immense possibilities for improvement in how we train, educate, and grow talented medical professionals.
COVID-19 lockdowns accelerated this process. More medical practitioners and patients addressed medical tech, which boosted healthcare app development. The growth of AI, AR/VR technologies, and machine learning now open previously unseen areas, and their popularity is growing.
Today, 22% of physicians believe AI will change how medicine looks in the following years.
This article will review the existing AR solutions for medical studying and practice and discuss their benefits.
Metaverse experiments
Not so long ago, leading news resources worldwide were buzzing about the introduction of augmented reality in education. West Virginia University, Southwestern Oregon Community College, California State University, and others have already used the possibility of AR/VR technology to build digital twins on their campuses, known as “metaverses.”
Such a form of education allows uniting physical and virtual worlds in order to allow remote students to get a realistic feel of the study process and broaden the study possibilities in various ways.
Dr. Muhsinah Morris from Morehouse College in Atlanta teaches chemistry to her students in a custom-made virtual lab and says VR classes help students stay focused and engaged and help with the visualization of complex matters that cater to better understanding.
Since VR/AR possibilities are widely used to simplify the explanation of complex matters and bring experimentation to a new level, using tech in medicine can potentially have numerous advantages.
Medical training becomes accessible to anyone
In a pre-AR era, practicing and training required a whole set of conditions, like a laboratory, atlases, mannequins, instruments, etc. Additionally, not all the students had equal access to the resources needed for adequate practice.
Today, numerous solutions already exist that mimic real-world conditions and allow medical students to practice from anywhere in the world.
For example, such a solution as a Human Anatomy Atlas offers incredible visualization possibilities for learning human anatomy, which has always been a demanding subject.
Thanks to tools like this, students from distant areas can get virtual access to high-end labs and practice for as many hours as they need to build the necessary skills.
Experimentation becomes safer
Whether it’s classes in physics, chemistry, or training on giving first aid, live experiments are always bound to a certain level of risk. AR can recreate dangerous experiences as many times as needed to help students develop the skills required for quick reactions without putting themselves and patients at risk.
For a practical illustration of how this works, pay attention to the Medicalholodeck. It is a package of solutions designed to simulate surgeries or to learn and review human anatomy more closely.
Collaboration becomes easier
It is hard to imagine a doctor helping someone effectively run a surgery via the phone. Yet, recently, a doctor from Seattle helped a surgical team save a patient’s life using the AR platform Proximie. Compared to old tech, AR broadens the possibilities for observations, analysis, and even participation and thus helps doctors get on-hand practice while being 5000 miles away from their patients and colleagues.
Previously, doctors had to be in one room to learn or teach in practice. Now, they can share experiences via AR platforms.
Costly study courses become cheaper
Practical training requires anatomy theaters and mannequins, and since the resources are often scarce, students can only access practical classes in limited classes. The purchase and maintenance of the equipment are costly as well.
With AR/VR solutions, practical training becomes accessible without considerable cost spending.
Each student gets more personalized treatment. Since the practice results can be saved and reviewed later, a tutor can track each student’s progress in detail, having more opportunities for timely advice and failure analysis.
Moreover, using AR/VR in practice makes building progress reports that cater to better and more precise assessments possible.
Complex topics get simplified
Complicated themes in medicine, like brain processes or body part functioning, become simpler to understand with AR visualization possibilities. Students learn and understand better how the human body functions if they perceive information visually. Therefore, early findings prove that students study better if the learning material is organized in AR-supported lectures.
Regarding practical training, AR solutions offer unprecedented freedom of action and boost creativity. By understanding they are free from dangerous mistakes, students activate their imagination, critical thinking, and creativity, which lets them find new approaches to treating old issues.
Summing up
With the implementation of AR solutions in medicine, things get more straightforward and faster since they make the studies simpler, more approachable, and less expensive for many in the medical community. Although nothing can substitute real-life communication and experience level, AR solutions still offer a considerable level-up in how we present and perceive information.
Who is the author?
Anastasiia Lastovetska
Anastasiia Lastovetska is a technology writer at MLSDev, a software development company that builds web & mobile app solutions from scratch.
She researches the area of technology to create great content about app development, UX/UI design, and tech & business consulting.
