What does the future hold for healthcare? Some are betting it’s quickly moving to the metaverse. And that will bring a host of opportunities, challenges, and risks.
Think of the metaverse as the next version of the internet. One that will combine artificial intelligence (AI), augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), and expanding connectivity (currently 5G) to create online environments that are more experiential and interactive than what we’re using today. It’ll include things like:
Telemedicine
While telemedicine was growing steadily before 2020, the pandemic increased usage tenfold. Today, healthcare facilities are utilizing this for many reasons.
- It can reduce unnecessary trips to the ER
- It can provide support while reversing chronic disease
- It can make specialty care more efficient
- It can give access to the very best doctors
And the opportunities will only increase. While current telehealth may be a simple video call, the metaverse will create more lifelike experiences. VR is already used in controlled therapy environments where patients can interact in situations that help them deal with anxiety.
Blockchain
The most vulnerable part of healthcare today is the highly valuable healthcare data. Electronic health records are created and stored on centralized servers where we’re in a constant battle with cybercriminals to protect personal data. A single healthcare record can go for hundreds of dollars on the dark web, giving hackers a big reason to focus there.
Working with patient data is clunky at best. Between patients and healthcare facilities, weeks can be wasted asking for data, getting proper approval for sending and forwarding, and having it transferred to the requested location. Even with today’s technology, it’s obvious there’s a better way. Blockchain would give everyone their own unique file that is unhackable, and with a click of a button, could be shared with anyone in the world.
Training
How many times have you attended lackluster training sessions? A trainer talks at you, droning on for hours. You promptly forget most of it and get back to your job. Metaverse can change all of that.
A combination of AI, AR, and VR can bring a person into a training program, and add reality to every moment of the instruction:
- Onboarding and learning the details of a company
- Immersion training for workflow
- Step-by-step programs for maintaining equipment
- Security training working with case studies and real in-office problems
The possibilities are endless once you start discovering how to use them.
The metaverse is coming. Are you ready?
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