Embracing Virtual Reality in Healthcare: Exploring the Benefits and Concerns

by Cristhina Reyes

In the most recent years, VR has been an important technology that has started gaining popularity in forms such as video games, simulations, and even being used in the medical field. VR stands for Virtual Reality, which is the “use of computer modeling and simulation that enables a person to interact with an artificial three-dimensional (3-D) visual or other sensory environment.” according to Brittianca. VR uses a headset where the user can see the artificial 3D visuals and environment. Also, there are usually gloves, or controllers for your hands to help with the interaction of the virtual environment. Specifically, Virtual reality technology has become increasingly used in healthcare, offering multiple benefits for patients, practitioners, and medical education. While there are some challenges and drawbacks to consider, such as cost and accessibility, I greatly support the adoption of VR in healthcare. The advantages of VR in improving treatment outcomes, enhancing medical training, and transforming patient care.

Some people may disagree that VR in the HealthCare Field may not be the best because of cost and accessibility. I believe that VR is a very important tool and that it can be beneficial with medical care or the health field. One really important benefit I believe VR is important and useful, is the use of VR in medical training. For example, I have seen videos on Nurses in training learning how to do patient care or have interactions with them that will help them in real life scenarios. At the University of Tulsa, they have an entire video dedicated to demonstrating how they use Virtual Reality to teach their students proper bedside care and patient interactions. Beside Nurses, other medical professions such as Surgeons, Dentist, Doctors etc all can use VR to get a better sense of what anatomy or body part they are looking at. Virtual Reality can help with medical education because, according to Visualise, “it has the ability to transport you inside and around the human body, to access and view areas that would traditionally be impossible to reach.”. They are also able to show patients virtual reality to help them get a better visual of what condition or how certain treatments will work. 

Another way, Virtual Reality can be helpful in the healthcare field , is for patients specifically such aftercare treatments. For example, there is a study from The University of Washington Seattle and the UW Harborview Burn Centre, that shows patients doing physical therapy with VR, have had reduced pain levels and a higher recovery speed in a more immersive and fun way. There have also been studies shown that Virtual Reality for Stroke patients has been a positive impact for patients helping them improve their daily functionality. According to BTE Technologies,  “VR physical therapy can include an individual who can practice repetition of tasks, even in the presence of motor deficits. This can even include simulated actions such as preparing meals or picking an object up off the floor.”. Simple tasks such as those mentioned can be very beneficial to patients with needs of helping their motor functionality.

Next, Virtual Reality can be helpful for mental treatments, such as Phobias, Anxiety, Depression, PTSD, social and emotional skills, and etc. Therapists can use VR to treat patients with phobias by exposure but with the Virtual Reality Headset to create an environment that is safe and more controlled. Exposure therapy can also help those with PTSD to help reduce some symptoms in a safe virtual environment. Next, anxiety and depression in VR can help with relaxation and mindfulness and can also help patients manage stress and anxiety levels, promoting overall mental health. Lastly, with social and emotional skills, VR can put those who lack those skills in a simulation with VR that gives them an opportunity to handle social or emotional situations.

Lastly, Virtual Reality is very beneficial for TeleMedicine. According to Times, when Housley remotely assists stroke survivors, he overcomes the distance between himself and his patients by using virtual reality. The majority of stroke patients treated by clinicians at the Georgia Institute of Technology suffer from muscle weakness or paralysis known as hemiparesis. Traditional telemedicine methods struggle to conduct evaluations and physical exams due to the need for physical interactions, such as manual testing. Instead, Housley employs a robotic exoskeleton and virtual environment for assessment. He states, "This works because the patient is wearing a robotic exoskeleton on their paretic limb, and it houses sensors and actuators that allow me to digitize their movements and muscle actions," he explains. "This data gets transmitted to me and allows me to act upon it to personalize the exam.". With telemedicine, using this approach it not only helps with remote assessments but also ensures personalized care for stroke survivors, showing how telemedicine can advance care for patients with complex needs using virtual reality. 

However, despite its multiple advantages, some may argue that virtual reality in healthcare can present challenges and certain limitations. Some challenges that virtual reality in healthcare include are physical challenges and ethical ones. Some users of VR have reported problems with uneasiness, disorientation, and even nausea when using the headset. Another concern is the impact of blue light emitted from VR headsets on sleep patterns, similar to the effects of using smartphones or computers, which can disrupt natural biological rhythms, particularly the desire to sleep, according to The Access Group. Next, ethical issues come into play as well, where The National Library of Medicine in America is worried about patient privacy because of the potential logging and sharing of personal data. Author Tatiana Fernández emphasizes that VR should be usable for everyone and that personal data needs to be protected properly which is why there is a concern for those who use it. Nevertheless, despite these concerns, the benefits of virtual reality in healthcare, such as improved treatment outcomes and enhanced patient care, outweigh the potential risks. With proper regulation and usage physical issues can be reduced if patients use for a certain amount of time per day to not over their physical well being and for the ethical guidelines, the healthcare industry can harness the power of VR such as implementing the HIPAA regulations to follow with VR care for the patients privacy.

Therefore, virtual reality technology offers multiple benefits for healthcare, but it also brings some challenges and limitations. Despite concerns about discomfort and privacy, VR has shown immense potential to improve treatment, medical training and education, and patient care and communication as well. VR therapy has proven effective in reducing pain, faster recovery speeds and also helps with mental health therapy as well, and overall enhancing their physical and mental well-being. 

Medical professionals benefit from realistic simulations, improving their skills and ensuring safer procedures, by utilizing virtual reality technology to get a better understanding and more visual way to learn and enhance skills for upcoming things such as surgeries or looking at specific anatomy. Also, with education it helps students improve their skills with patient interactions or performing skills in virtual reality to better prepare them for the real world.

VR also enables a better way of Telemedicine because of remote assessments and personalized care for patients, particularly those with mobility issues.

While there are worries about VR's physical effects and privacy issues, proper regulations and guidelines can address these concerns. Healthcare providers must limit patients with VR to help with the physical effects and not allow them to stress their physical and mental bodies out and also prioritize patient privacy and ensure that VR is used responsibly.

Overall, VR has the potential to revolutionize healthcare, offering better treatment and training opportunities. By addressing concerns and implementing proper safety regulations, we can also use VRs full potential to improve healthcare treatments and enhance patient experiences.