Exploring the Possibilities of Hospitals in Metaverse

Metaverse has various elements that include blockchain technology, augmented reality, virtual reality, and game theory. Metaverse allows for trustless transactions and unbeatable ownership of assets, although it’s all online and virtual. Here in this article, I’ll tell you some aspects of the Metaverse which will affect your health and the way we see the future of the health industry. 

For years, virtual reality (VR) has been a source of entertainment and exploration. But what if it can revolutionize healthcare delivery? In recent years, Metaverse has emerged as a potential way to provide medical services to patients via immersive telemedicine. The possibilities of this technology are far-reaching and could potentially revolutionize healthcare delivery. From virtual visits to 3D body scans and more, Metaverse has the potential to make healthcare more accessible, efficient, and cost-effective. This article will explore the possibility of hospitals in Metaverse and provide a glimpse into the future of healthcare delivery.

The Potential of Metaverse in Healthcare

Metaverse is a simulated environment that anyone can access through VR headsets. VR can create various experiences, such as exploring new places, communicating with others, or participating in an interactive story. Also, Metaverse can simulate a wide range of environments and experiences, such as a beach, a small town, a spaceship, a city, or a hospital. So, with these comprehensive features, Metaverse can provide a wide range of significant services, including healthcare services. By using the virtual, experts can virtually transport patients to a hospital and allow them to experience their healthcare in person. 

Also, the Metaverse has the potential to revolutionize healthcare delivery by making it more accessible and cost-effective. Clinics in Metaverse can allow patients to receive medical care from the comfort of their own homes, providing a more cost-effective and efficient alternative to traditional in-person care.

Benefits of Metaverse for Healthcare Delivery

There are enormous benefits of the virtual world for healthcare, and some of the prominent ones are as follows.

• More accessible: 

Metaverse can provide patients with an alternative way to access medical care. Patients can receive medical services from the comfort of their own homes and have access to care providers via VR headsets.

• Better experience: 

Patients can choose the environment in which they receive their medical care. In addition, they can select their preferred setting, including the hospital of their choice or their living room. 

• More efficient:

Metaverse also allows providers to cut down on travel time and costs, allowing them to provide care to more patients while maintaining high-quality service. 

• More cost-effective: 

As, it  permits providers to cut down on travel time and costs, allowing them to provide care to more patients while maintaining high-quality service. 

• Better access to specialists: 

It helps the patients to access specialists without having to travel to them in person. 

• Better accessibility for patients with disabilities:

It can provide patients with disabilities who cannot travel in person with the same level of care that able-bodied patients receive in hospitals.

The Role Of Metaverse In Healthcare Training 

The Metaverse is also set to revamp the medical education and training space along with caregiving. With the use of virtual, augmented, and mixed reality, medical professionals will have access to a wealth of new resources, from 3D anatomy models to interactive simulations of medical procedures. With these technologies, medical students and professionals alike can gain an in-depth understanding of medical concepts and practice their skills in a realistic, immersive environment. 

This will enable them to become more efficient and confident practitioners, using the knowledge they gain in the Metaverse in their everyday practice. Furthermore, the Metaverse can provide remote medical training, enabling medical professionals to access training and resources from any location without having to leave their patients. So, the possibilities of the Metaverse in healthcare are endless.

Challenges of Implementing HealthCare Clinics In Metaverse

Metaverse technology is not yet implemented. Many challenges must be overcome before it can become a mainstream delivery of healthcare services. It needs to be a significant component of healthcare delivery. It aims to make cost-effective healthcare accessible to everyone. But, the VR headsets themselves are so expensive. Plus, these headsets have so much bulk, which can cause motion sickness to the patient. 

Also, a sick person has a different mental state than a healthy one. So, the Metaverse has to provide an environment believable to patients. 

Currently, it’s difficult for virtual worlds to create an as realistic experience. It needs more improvements before its implementation in the mainstream medical service. 

Another challenge is the suitability of the Metaverse. It is not suitable for certain medical services. It is still a new technology and does not provide suitability for providing certain medical services, such as MRIs, X-rays, or CT scans.

Metaverse- How Doctors Will Treat in Metaverse

So let’s begin now. Before COVID began, ever since the beginning of medical science, healthcare meant physical interaction between the patients and the doctors. So to get diagnosed, to get operated, or get treated, the whole process was hands on. This changed slightly post COVID. More people chose teleconsultations and home based health care over potentially contracting COVID at dedicated health institutions. Metaverse seeks to potentially revolutionize this forever. 

Let’s take a few examples.

1. Meta, or previously known as Facebook Group, acquired Oculus VR technology in 2014. In 2012 to 2014, the Oculus virtual reality headset was a thing of awe. Using virtual reality, VR allowed for simulation of potential situations such as how to wear a PPE kit and how to discard a PPE kit. The app was available in multiple languages. The technology offered by Oculus is also revolutionizing the way surgeons operate. At the University of Connecticut, orthopedic surgical residents are taught various procedures using VR headsets. This allows surgical students to perfect their skills while using the advantage of a 3D VR environment.  Download Case Study.
2. Microsoft another mega-company that is actively investing in the expansion of Metaverse healthcare is Microsoft. Since its emergence, Microsoft is well known for its software expertise and its universal presence, and they are still excelling in that sector. They introduced mesh. Now, Mesh is a cloud-based online platform. It allows people in different physical locations to join the digital metaverse. This is via its ability to integrate 3D experiences on various devices. This means it can be used through mobile phones, laptops headsets and VR capable machines together. Take for example, a group of medical students worldwide. Having joined the same virtual space, they can go through 3D model of the human body and study it layer by layer on specially designed VR modules. 
3. At John Hopkins Institute, the Department of Neurosurgery has incorporated VR tech into their patient care and teaching program using AR headsets made by an Israeli company called Augmentics. They are using AR to understand the intricacies of the body. The headset has an eye display that projects images of a patient’s internal anatomy, such as bones and other tissue, while the person operates. Using this, they performed the first AR surgeries ever. They used CT, and MRI scans to build 3D models of the patient’s brain and spine. Before the required surgeries, they navigate through the various complications they might face and plan a precise route. 

Future of Healthcare Delivery In Metaverse

Healthcare delivery via Metaverse will likely become more common in the future. As technology advances, we will likely see the rise of more realistic and immersive virtual worlds for healthcare delivery. The world has seen some promising Metaverse projects giving the hope that soon it will become accessible to everyone. UAE’s Medicare Hospitals and Medical centers have become the most looked at upcoming hospital in Metaverse. 

These clinics offer a wide range of services, from preventative care to mental health support, from the comfort of your home. Each hospital will have experienced medical professionals and utilizes cutting-edge technology to ensure patients receive the best care possible. Whether you’re looking for primary care, mental health services, or just a friendly checkup, these clinics can help. And with the added convenience of being online, Patients can get the help they need without ever leaving their houses. It’s never been easier to access quality medical care.

As technology improves, seeing more of these projects will likely become more common. As a result, the Metaverse can prove itself as an important part of the future of healthcare. In addition, advanced VR can serve as an important tool for delivering healthcare services in the future. It can provide patients with an alternative way to access medical care and provide providers with an efficient and cost-effective alternative to traditional in-person care.

Conclusion: The Future of Healthcare Delivery in Metaverse

Now, I’m not saying that the future of healthcare is metaverse oriented. We never, for once thought that we could teach robots to operate on humans, but that became a reality in the past decade itself.  Metaverse is an exciting new frontier for healthcare delivery. They have the potential to revolutionize healthcare delivery by making it more accessible, providing a better experience for patients, and allowing for more efficient and cost-effective care. As technology advances and Metaverse progresses, it will likely become more common to see virtual worlds used for healthcare delivery. 

We never thought we could see the inside of the brain, but we now can do so by using 3D models. Such examples are endless. But the future holds great prospect. Revolution is expected.