Technology for some time has
played a key role in the enhancement of most if not all human activity and
endeavor. Many sectors of the economy have been blessed by the effects of this
game changer called technology and this is inclusive of the health sector.
Virtual reality technology for example has been massively helpful in the area
of healthcare delivery. This and some other contribution of technology to
healthcare provision and delivery would be further emphasized upon in this
article.
Training: One of the very profound merits of technology is that it
reduces time and effort while at the same time boosting output. Virtual
simulation technology has been helpful in the training of healthcare
practitioners. For example, surgery simulators has been very effective and
efficient in the training of prospective surgeons and physicians about the
rudiments of their preferred profession as it would be unethical or difficult
to get a real life patient to volunteer him/herself for training of surgeons,
the availability of simulation technology has made it possible for surgeons in
training to be visual and physical feedback when practicing a procedure. The
training of surgeons should naturally involve the use cadavers and some living
patients at some point but the presence of virtual technology has massively
reduced the need for these. Virtual reality technology has also been useful in
the training of other medical professionals such as nurses, dentists,
paramedics, medical consultants, medical educators etc. In essence, the
technology has been able to provide a risk free environment for the trainees to
practice their life saving procedures.
Diagnosis: Virtual reality has also been successfully utilized as a
diagnostic tool for the detection and diagnosis of symptoms of illnesses and
disorders. This is a more useful method of diagnosis as compared with the
personal observation method which has been often tagged as being invasive by
most patients. Some virtual reality procedures have been
developed such as polygonal modeling which has been helpful in the study of the
anatomy of the eye and also to observe how progressive eye illnesses such as
glaucoma may develop over a period of time
Treatment: Robotics which is an offshoot of virtual reality has
been widely useful in the treatment and remediation of some illnesses and
diseases. Their usefulness have even transcended into the operating room where
some have been deployed to conduct surgery whilst being controlled by a well
trained surgeon. Virtual reality also has been useful in the treatment of some
social cognitive disorders such as different types of phobias. Several soft and
hardware applications have been designed and developed for the treatment of
fears of crowd, heights, small places, driving etc. Virtual realities
technology has also been proved effective in the remediation of pain in the
limbs and joints of the body, brain disorder and also for the correction of eye
defects. Certain specialized virtual reality headsets have been designed with capabilities
for eye defects such as amblyopia and strabismus.
Conclusion: Virtual reality technology in healthcare is still in
its nascent years but has already proven to be the way forward for qualitative
healthcare delivery. Its use has already led to some medical breakthroughs and
key improvements in illness prevention. Surely, the future is only bright with
the continued deployment of virtual reality technology in healthcare delivery
worldwide.
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