According to Precedence Research, the healthcare augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) technology market is expected to hit USD 22.2 billion by 2030, growing at an annual growth rate of 26.88% from 2022 until the end of the forecast period.

Its rapid growth is driven by the mounting demand for innovative diagnostic methods and precision medicine, as well as the rising incidence of neurological disorders and growing disease awareness. The progress in information technology software and hardware also contributes to the growth of AR and VR tech in healthcare.

Are you a medical professional, researcher or someone who cares about the future of the industry? Read on to learn how augmented and virtual reality technology is impacting healthcare.

Healthcare Industry: Current Challenges

Many studies on the applications of AR and VR in the healthcare industry have been ongoing for 

a time and are likely to continue in the years to come. Doctors, hospitals, laboratories, and startups worldwide are collaborating or working separately to explore how this technology can be utilised fully.

So far, research has shown that AR and VR technology can help the healthcare industry overcome some of its most common challenges.

For instance, most modern hospitals and clinics face the fundamental challenge of clinical operations and data management. Additionally, there are overwhelming calls for a reduction in healthcare complexity and an increase in productivity.

These challenges need solutions, and it appears augmented and virtual reality can help with them greatly.

Applications of VR and AR in Healthcare

Medical technology is evolving rapidly. It is evident that AR and VR will play a meaningful role in elevating and revolutionising global healthcare. Below are a few ways AR and VR technology can be used in healthcare.

1. Data Visualisation and Body Mapping

Data visualisation and body mapping are two of the most obvious ways AR and VR technology can augment current healthcare processes.

AR can be used to superimpose information on a patient's body. Thus, instead of using television monitors, a doctor can wear a pair of smart glasses, perhaps connected to a special glove or pointing device, to view patient data in context.

Similarly, a doctor can use AR to present the information to the patient, the patient's family, and members of the medical staff. Their audience can wear special glasses to see the information the doctor wishes to show right on the patient's body.

AR used this way can make it easier for medical professionals to communicate the nuances of a patient's conditions and explain highly technical subjects to lay persons.

Additionally, AR and VR can be used to perform body mapping for scenarios when a comprehensive recreation of the patient's body is necessary, such as when preparing for a complicated surgery or when the doctor is physically unavailable to do an in-person examination.

This data visualisation and body mapping technique, enabled by CT scans of the patient, will help surgeons prepare for and plan their surgeries better, helping them avoid mistakes during the procedure.

2. Advanced Diagnostics and Risk Assessment

Diagnostics and risk assessment in health care depend highly on precise results and a thorough evaluation of symptoms. This is another area where AR and VR can make a significant difference. AR and VR technology can help with more effective detection, prevention and treatment of many diseases.

Through AR and VR, doctors and nurses can effortlessly scan a patient, increasing diagnosis precision without resorting to invasive diagnostic procedures. Microsoft's HoloLens is already aiding medical professionals in completing various analyses and simulations, providing real-time stats and valuable data.

3. Hands-On Training

AR and VR technology is transforming the world of training, not only in the healthcare sector but in many others. In particular, VR enables medical students to simulate real-life scenarios they will likely encounter in actual practice.

VR technology enables practical ‘dry run' training activities that are more realistic than ever. This is an incredible development for anyone, but it is especially crucial to surgeons in training.

VR does not only quickly, effectively and safely train medical students on how to perform unfamiliar procedures. It can also let them experience these procedures from their patients' point of view, and this can help them refine the way they communicate information with patients.

Similarly, VR can liberalise medical training and make it accessible to a broader audience. Educators and medical experts can use VR live streams to allow other medical professionals and the public to experience things from a medical expert's viewpoint.

The above are just a couple of ideas, but the potential applications of virtual reality technology in healthcare training seem virtually limitless.

4. Remote Surgery

VR makes highly realistic virtual communication possible, regardless of the distance between two parties. Specifically, it makes remote surgery possible.

Through AR and VR, top surgical and medical specialists can attend to patients halfway across the world without needing to leave their country. By putting on a head-mounted display and haptic mittens, doctors from a hospital in Dubai can virtually transport themselves to a hospital thousands of miles away and use their skills and experience to treat patients and teach other doctors.

This is a game-changing development, especially in specialisations with an extremely limited number of expert practitioners. It also ensures patients in parts of the world who don't have access to good doctors can get better medical care.

Augmented and Virtual Reality for Healthcare

AR and VR technology is a revolutionary development that has a particularly positive impact on healthcare. 

The healthcare applications of this groundbreaking technology spans data visualisation, body mapping, advanced diagnostics, risk assessment, training, and remote surgery.