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Augmented Reality (AR) has made significant progress in all fields of life, including the medical device industry. It has shown to be an important piece of the jigsaw in healthcare.
This article will take you through the ways AR is revolutionizing patient care.
Augmented Reality: Revolutionizing Patient Care
Technology has the potential to accelerate the healthcare sector to enhance health, quality of life, safety, and even cybersecurity in healthcare. For example, Augmented Reality (AR) is rapidly getting into the healthcare environment because it has the potential to be revolutionary, not just evolutionary.
Many medical operations and practices can be performed remotely or outside typical clinical settings, as seen in the COVID-19 pandemic. Medical services can be delivered more “locally” to patients, and AR can help make this process change work for patients and healthcare providers. On-demand telemedicine solutions have become a requirement in today’s ever-changing technological environment. Such platforms, which act as service providers for people unable to receive on-site medical treatments, can reach patients worldwide. As a result, the need for digital healthcare systems has grown vital, especially now that we are amid a global pandemic.
As a result, technologies such as Augmented Reality are gaining traction in the IT, business, and healthcare industries. As a result, hospitals are urged to launch specific telemedicine courses to teach their employees to make this new technology as smooth as possible.
AR Powered Devices in Medicine & Health Care
Augmented Reality is a technology that enables vital new visualization and interaction techniques in the rapidly evolving 3D healthcare sector. Healthcare companies across this market segment are examining how AR can be implemented in their particular disciplines to provide cutting-edge care while staying competitive. The idea of using Augmented Reality in medicine is not new, but “advances in technology mean that the hardware is cheaper, smaller, quicker, more reliable, and easier to use. In addition, AR has shown to be a great tool for medical education and training.
In healthcare, Augmented Reality for medical devices has made a significant difference for medical professionals as they educate and learn, provide patient care, and ultimately save lives.
Dentistry:
AR software built-in smart glasses superimpose real-time data from a dental scanner, allowing a dentist to create the same crowns or caps.
Training Nurses:
AR-enabled, tablet-based simulations of various patient scenarios enable nurses to better engage with patients (e.g., SimMan) and handle day-to-day job circumstances, hospice care activities, or emergency procedures that need a mix of social, technical, and team skills.
Medical Imaging:
AR improves viewing CT or MRI data during a surgical operation by superimposing stereoscopic projections. This information is critical in procedures that need precision guidance to a specific organ. AR, for example, can be used for pre-operative planning to improve the accurate localization of tumors and surrounding structures for procedures.
Medical Education:
Doctors leverage AR to teach their students new therapies and drugs. In addition, they use it to educate medical students about basic anatomy and concepts. ARnatomy, for example, accesses textbook images via an optical character recognition app and overlays digital information on human body parts to help students learn the names of bones and muscles. Its purpose is to eliminate the need for hefty textbooks and charts.
Helping The Visually Impaired:
AR-powered medic devices such as VA-ST’s SmartSpecs improve the visual appearance of objects and people using 3D recognition software. It enables legally blind persons or those with severe vision impairments to recognize familiar faces, locate lost objects, and navigate their surroundings more easily.
Remote Surgical Expertise:
VIPAR (Virtual Interactive Presence in Augmented Reality) surpasses telemedicine as it provides a video support solution. For example, a surgeon can remotely guide a fellow surgeon during the operation by projecting his hands into an AR display.
Pediatric MRI Evaluation:
Researchers have developed AR tablet games for medical procedures; for example, one AR tablet game is used to determine if a child will need an aesthetic during an MRI procedure. In addition, it enables medical professors to measure a child’s ability to stay still for a long time before they conduct an MRI exam.
Visualization Of Peripheral Vasculature:
In real-time, the AccuVein AV400 digitally shows a vasculature map on the skin’s surface, allowing practitioners to confirm vein patency. As a result, patients experience less pain during venipuncture operations.
AR In Healthcare Is Already Making A Difference:
Medical researchers have been investigating the practical use of AR for many years. The fruitful results of their labor are already here. AR is making a significant difference in healthcare and taking these developments to make life easier for staff and better patient outcomes.
Lab Technology, Biotechnology & Life Sciences:
Researchers, scientists, and technologists can benefit from virtual product experiences provided by lab technology, biotechnology, and life sciences companies. It will allow them to evaluate product functioning, technology, and advantages. It will also assist in increasing user engagement and information retention.
A life sciences company that creates solutions launched a new product that uses cutting-edge technologies. It enabled spatial profiling of gene expression data using AR. In addition, they wanted to build an engaging experience allowing users to examine the product fully. This lets people experience the product in a virtual lab to learn about the technology and its game-changing potential.
The Future of AR in Patient Care:
The AR market will be similar to the smartphone industry because it will target a large population worldwide. Moreover, with many mergers and acquisitions, the AR ecosystem is already seeing an infusion of software and hardware producers and mobile data and voice firms. This shows the widespread enthusiasm for the future of AI, AR, and related technologies.
To be successful in the healthcare industry, AR firms must handle regulatory and privacy concerns. This includes AR-assisted surgeries, staff training, and in-patient behavior and rehabilitation programs.
