The use of virtual reality isn't only restricted to gamers but has healthcare applications too, CNBC reported Dec. 4.
The World Health Organization Academy collaborated with Facebook and Nexus Studios to create a mobile app for healthcare workers treating patients with COVID-19. One of the courses used augmented reality to simulate the correct order and techniques for putting on and removing personal protective equipment.
At UConn Health in Farmington, Conn., virtual reality is used to train orthopedic surgery residents. The residents can put on Oculus headsets and practice performing surgical procedures in a 3D space. They are free to make more mistakes and learn from them in the virtual world.
Medical technology company Stryker uses Microsoft's smart-glasses to help design operating rooms across different specialties. The augmented reality technology allows the designers to visualize the rooms with different equipment and personnel more efficiently.
Neurosurgeons at Baltimore-based Johns Hopkins performed the health system's first augmented reality-assisted surgeries in June. The surgeons wore headsets that projected images of the patient's internal anatomy based on CT scans.
More medical schools and health systems are beginning to use the technology for training and learning purposes and will continue to do so as the technology gets stronger, CNBC predicted.