Augmented and Virtual Reality are the Most Promising Examples of Healthcare Software Development
Software development has seen innovations that have helped every industry that one can think of. It won’t be a stretch to say that we are living in the software age, just as mankind lived in the stone age, bronze age, iron age, and so forth. When it comes to healthcare, software development has focused on addressing many issues in the industry in the last decade. From improving clinical operations to streamlining billing and enhancing the quality of care, healthcare software development has helped doctors as well as patients. Among the most exciting applications of custom healthcare software development has been the growth of augmented and virtual reality (AR and VR) for healthcare.
Virtual reality (VR) brings forth an immersive experience that puts the user in a simulated environment. On the other hand, augmented reality (AR), as the name suggests, augments your surroundings by placing digital entities that the user can interact with.
Both AR and VR have had sizeable impacts on the entertainment industry. But their use in healthcare holds enormous potential.
Medical Education
One of the most promising applications of these technologies in healthcare development is in training doctors to respond to emergencies in a hospital or outside clinical settings. Companies involved in medical software development services have developed a prototype for a virtual operating room that can be used for training medical residents and EMTs to perform emergency procedures.
The applications of a virtual reality-driven mode of medical education can have far-reaching impacts. A virtual operating room or an emergency room would make it much easier to train medical residents since it can be done in a controlled environment without endangering the lives of any patient. Situations like cardiac arrests, car crashes, gunshots, seizures, or any other life-threatening incidents can be simulated realistically to condition budding doctors to handle the pressure and react appropriately.
Moreover, as it won’t actually involve live patients, the residents will have enough time and opportunity to hone their composure, so that they won’t panic in a real emergency. There is consensus in the medical community that this can revolutionize medical education.
Additionally, augmented and virtual reality is also being used to teach regular people to perform CPR and mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and help save lives. This has already been implemented in some schools, universities, as well as a few companies. The beauty of AR and VR is that they are custom healthcare solutions, which means that they can be programmed to simulate any situation.
Treatment of Anxiety & Phobias
Both virtual and augmented realities act as types of custom healthcare systems by themselves. They can be programmed to simulate anxiety-inducing environments such as the edges of tall buildings or tightly enclosed spaces, or densely crowded areas to help people with phobias face their fears without endangering themselves. In addition to vertigo phobia and claustrophobia, a wide range of anxiety disorders can be treated with the use of virtual and augmented reality.
Since AR and VR act as custom healthcare software, they can be used to create an immersive experience with simulated environments that cause people to get anxious. This in turn is largely helpful for experts to treat a wide range of anxieties.
Conclusion
AR and VR are brilliant examples of healthcare software development that can have a major impact on the medical industry.
