The last few years have seen increasing advances in the healthcare sector. Fundamentally, they can be attributed to modern-day technology and its continuous evolution. While, of course, many concepts are developed as a means to altering the long-term outlook of the global health industry, it is clear that inventions involving real-time technology and virtual reality – developed for convenience in other areas of life – are having a significant immediate impact in healthcare that is revolutionizing the sector.
The Convenience of Real-Time
The computer-oriented nature of the 21st century has driven the demand for real-time technology in all aspects of life. The fitness sector has long striven to heighten user convenience: people use products such as the Fitbit to monitor their own exercise. Very dedicated athletes can purchase other performance-monitoring products, such as the SPT 2, which acts as a personal GPS while also recording heart rates and other parameters. By tracking physical output in this way, the product can help to manage injury prevention and training schedules.
Intriguingly, such real-time concepts have also become popular in other sectors. Take iGaming, for example. Much like the above examples, online casinos have focused on enhancing user immersion levels. Numerous operators have been able to achieve this by providing progressive games that mirror those typically found at land-based establishments. For example, online at Space Casino, gamers can immerse themselves in a wide array of live casino titles, including Dream Catcher, Lightning Roulette, Speed Blackjack, and many more. So whether in relation to sports, online gaming, or any other hobby, the use and convenience of real-time is something many of us encounter and are accustomed to in daily life.
Extending This to Healthcare
With this kind of technology so widespread, it becomes easier for the medical field to adopt it: not only is it already widely available, but it also means that users within the field of medicine – professionals and patients alike – are already likely to be accustomed to it. As a result, products are being developed that seek to provide potentially life-changing real-time care. AliveCor’s on-the-move, medical-grade ECG is one example of this. The test can be carried out at the consumer’s discretion on various compatible remote devices. The ECG can detect numerous conditions in approximately 30 seconds, and the tracked data can be sent to a medical expert for review.
Additional focus on these kinds of products and the potential of real-time technology could yield positive results for the global health sector. They can help not only to reduce medical costs but also to speed up diagnoses, as digital appointments and reviews could prove to be less time-consuming.
The Potential of Virtual Reality in Healthcare
Throughout the last few decades, virtual reality technology has been highly sought after in numerous industries. According to a report by Visualise, the global VR market could be worth upwards of $3.8 billion in 2020. Along with being an integral part of the gaming market, the Oculus Rift made a breakthrough in the healthcare sector. But what exactly is it used for?
While real-time inventions perhaps have a more patient-centered focus, VR developments appear to revolve around refining in-house skills and treatments. The ever-evolving technology has the potential to alter 21st-century healthcare in several ways, such as by enabling risk-free training. VR, for example, can allow for the construction of specific scenarios that replicate real-world surgeries.
In rehabilitation, simulated experiences are being explored as a means of replicating real-life situations in a controlled, monitored environment. CAREN, a Computer Assisted Rehabilitation Environment, places people in a life-size video game to teach essential skills in aiding recovery from brain and spinal injuries, as per an article by BASIC.
A Digital Healthcare Future Awaits
The examples given above seem to show that in the coming years, the global healthcare industry is likely to become heavily digitalized. At face value, the potential of real-time products and virtual reality lies in their being more convenient and safer, as well as providing more in-depth data in a more timely manner than traditional medical approaches. That makes them invaluable to the healthcare sector.
Photo by National Cancer Institute on Unsplash
.
.
