4 Reasons The Healthcare Industry Must Get Ready For AR/VR
For the last two years, the nearly two billion global frontline workers have played a critical role...
Maintaining customer relationships has become the most important factor for business expansion. Now, more than ever, innovative customer engagement solutions are a necessity. Companies are experimenting with augmented reality (AR) to create a long-lasting impression on their customers. AR offers a personalized and interactive experience that helps maintain customer loyalty and satisfaction. The healthcare industry is no exception to this. In fact, this industry is witnessing the rising adoption of immersive technologies to support healthcare workers. In critical industries like healthcare, it’s essential to stay up to date with the latest developments and best practices.
According to Allied Market Research the market for virtual and augmented reality in healthcare is expected to reach $2.4 billion by 2026. As the population increases, the growing demand for surgical treatment as well as healthcare expenditure is boosting the application of augmented reality and virtual reality technologies in the healthcare sector by a significant degree.
Geographically, North America owns a significant share of early adoption to this technology. In addition, growing technological advancement coupled with the extensive R&D activities in the United States is expected to propel the growth opportunities in the region in the coming years.
"Though we are in the early phases of AR enterprise adoption, the technology fits well into the fast-moving mobility ecosystem and presents endless opportunities," Doyin Adewodu, INFRASI Founder/President.
AUGMENTED REALITY AND THE PATIENT EXPERIENCE
As patients continue to expect more from providers and become more involved in their own care, AR offers an increasingly familiar way to create meaningful engagement. Healthcare consumers are looking for providers who can successfully treat them the first time around with little to no disruption to their daily lives.
AR helps patients to make better decisions about their health by educating them and providing them more personalized care. Patients get the benefit of knowing that their provider is specifically prepared to operate on their heart, brain, etc. mitigating the risk of the unknown. By harnessing AR’s power today, healthcare leaders can deliver exceptional patient experiences, enabling patients to connect with and manage their care in ways that have never been possible before.
BETTER CARE, OUTCOMES AND EXPERIENCES
Healthcare workers have to learn a huge amount of information about anatomy and the way the body functions. With AR technologies, students can learn at their own pace and gain real-time access to the latest surgical technique. This not only helps students learn in more engaging ways but also helps reduce costs and democratizes access to training.
Care recipients aren’t the only ones who stand to benefit. Institutions are embracing cutting-edge AR technologies to transform medical education and training. AR technologies are being used in operating rooms and classrooms to help surgeons prepare for the jobs ahead. Even the most experienced surgeons sometimes encounter surprises when operating on patients, but these high-tech solutions may make those instances less common. Be it a minimum invasive procedure or operating a brain tumor, augmented reality can be live-saving and can treat patients effortlessly.
Augmented reality software assists physicians in imaging, diagnoses, management of medical records, in-patient care, lifestyle management, and precision medicine. Not only does it assist in making a better treatment plan but it also provides physicians all the information needed to make a better decision for patients by diagnosing life-threatening diseases such as cancer at the early stages.
Augmented reality helps pharma companies by providing essential drug information. Lab workers can observe and understand the working of drugs inside the human body in a three-dimensional version with the help of an augmented technology-enabled kit.
BARRIERS TO AR TECHNOLOGY ADOPTION
Access to 5G networks and 5G-enabled devices is a major barrier to wider use of AR and VR in healthcare. Privacy issues are another barrier to AR technology’s widespread adoption in the healthcare industry. Doctors worry about Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) compliance because data transmitted to AR devices is not encrypted, making confidential patient information vulnerable.
The AR market will resemble the smartphones market, thus targeting a huge population worldwide. The potential is immense and far-reaching. The promises of medical augmented reality and virtual reality are compelling enough to get anyone excited about what’s possible.
AR requires content creation, deployment, and maintenance supported by dedicated resources. Let us help you leverage AR in a more efficient way. Schedule a consult, today!
