Healthcare and the Metaverse – There may be benefits for everyone

February 16, 2023, Kitchener, Ontario

Posted by: Robert Deutschmann, Personal Injury Lawyer

We’ve written about the use of virtual reality spaces in rehabilitation from a serious traumatic injury such as brain damage, stroke and paralysis. These are injuries that are common in car accidents, and in workplace injuries as well.

Many of us have heard about the metaverse but don’t have a clear idea of what it is. The metaverse is a virtual reality space in which users can interact and it is beginning to have a bigger role in healthcare. The technology of virtual reality and augmented reality are transforming the healthcare sector and biotechnology field.

How can the Metaverse Improve Healthcare?

Virtual reality and artificial intelligence are already being used in training and education to improve patient outcomes. Computer modelling helps surgeons prepare for surgical procedures allowing them to visualize in advance the specific problems at hand. Real data from CT or MRI scans, for example, can be used to model a specific injury and allow for better planning of surgical approaches lessening invasive procedures and time under the knife.

Gamification of rehabilitation and fitness and wellness is also very common. Smartwatches can motivate users to get up, walk farther and faster, wash their hands longer, or check on the wearer even calling for help after a fall. In rehabilitation settings, virtual reality can be used to motivate patients to achieve goals. AI can then adjust the goals as necessary to improve the outcome and to continue to stimulate and encourage the patient.

Patients with mental health challenges may also find that there is help in the metaverse when used in conjunction with therapy and medications. Technology can help to overcome fears for example, by recreating stressful situations and allowing role play to occur without endangering the patient.

Block Chain? Yes.

There is a tremendous amount of information (data) attached to every patient in the healthcare system. The management of this data is extremely time-consuming and important to outcomes. Transfer of medical records to and from doctors, specialists, hospitals, and therapists is time-consuming and expensive. Errors can be life-threatening. As healthcare systems move to store more data on computers the risks of malicious activities like hacking increase. Some researchers suggest that the use of blockchain technology to store data in a central safe way will protect patients and healthcare systems from data theft and hacking.

Diagnosis and treatment

With more sophisticated computer technology and modelling available in the metaverse doctors could ‘rehearse’ treatment protocols and predict their outcomes for a patient. Patient Twinning is a tool that allows the prediction of everything from surgical recovery to treatment response.

About Deutschmann Law

Deutschmann Law serves South-Western Ontario with offices in Kitchener-Waterloo, Cambridge, Woodstock, Brantford, Stratford and Ayr. The law practice of Robert Deutschmann focuses almost exclusively in personal injury and disability insurance matters. For more information, please visit www.deutschmannlaw.com or call us at 1-519-742-7774.

It is important that you review your accident benefit file with one of our experienced personal injury / car accident lawyers to ensure that you obtain access to all your benefits which include, but are limited to, things like physiotherapy, income replacement benefits, vocational retraining and home modifications.