Virtual reality in healthcare is one of the most significant disruptions we have witnessed in recent times. Among its many uses in healthcare, virtual reality is quickly becoming an important tool for training in many medical fields. The use of VR technology to train physicians on how to perform procedures has been shown to increase their accuracy in those procedures by as much as 50% compared with traditional methods of training.
Medical VR software is a highly effective tool in cardiology training. It is being used to train students, surgeons, nurses, and other medical professionals who work with patients. VR medical training technology has the potential to revolutionize medical education and patient care in cardiology by providing a safe, immersive environment to train future doctors, provide clinical training for practicing physicians, and deliver patient-specific care.
Here are some of the ways in which VR technology is changing the paradigm of cardiology training.
ENHANCED UNDERSTANDING OF ANATOMY
Medical students primarily learn from books and 2D models within a classroom environment during the initial years of medical school. For millennia, medical students have learnt about the interiors of the human heart and its working from dissecting cadavers. This had several drawbacks – it was difficult to see the blood vessels, the flow, and the actual workings of a real-life heart.
Thanks to advanced virtual reality software, students and doctors can avail of a much more effective and in-depth understanding of the human heart. VR can be used to improve medical students’ education and provide a computerized simulation of the heart architecture of each particular patient. It is now possible to explore accurate human anatomy and the cardiovascular system in a completely immersive virtual space, and in fact, even take a walk around and inside a VR heart!
EASIER MOVE FROM THEORETICAL TO PRACTICAL
After medical training, it is time for students to move on to the practical side of things, and this can be a huge challenge for many. Reading about a medical procedure in a book and actually having to perform it on a real person are two very different experiences. Here VR is proving to be of great use to students and young cardiac surgeons in narrowing the gap while moving from theory to practical in cardiac medicine.
Using specialized VR surgery simulations, it is now possible to recreate the look and feel of an operating room, the human heart, and the general experience of surgery. This is extremely useful for students, as it helps them to better prepare for the pressures, realities, and experiences of being a cardiac surgeon that can’t always be taught from a book. They are also able to view virtual surgeries and observe surgical procedures from a first-person perspective, which is an excellent learning experience.
IMPROVED SURGICAL TRAINING
With the help of VR training modules, medical students can now have better training in cardiac surgery long before they are in a surgical residency.
Eminent medical schools and hospitals are employing virtual reality platforms to create a 3D image of a patient’s body, or the heart, in the case of cardiac medicine. For challenging cardiac operations, doctors and surgeons can study the heart in advance and plan their procedures accordingly. Young cardiologists and cardiovascular surgeons are now able to practice new and revolutionary surgical methods using medical VR platforms, and enhance their techniques and understanding of the human heart before they step into the operating room. VR programs can also help established surgeons learn how to use new medical equipment or procedures in a safe environment, which helps them to keep up with the latest changes in their industry. Moreover, VR can be programmed to gauge how a patient would react during surgery, which helps doctors to prepare for any potential risks during the operation.
BETTER DOCTOR-PATIENT COMMUNICATION
For most people, heart surgery can be a very scary experience. VR can be of great assistance in this regard by enhancing the doctor-patient relationship.
It is important for a cardiac surgeon to ensure that the patient has a full understanding of their medical condition, the procedures that need to be undertaken, and what effects to expect. However, different patients have varying levels of grasping medical concepts, which makes it difficult for the medical practitioner to provide a complete picture. Using a virtual scenario, a doctor can in essence show the patient their heart defect, the procedures that will be followed, and what the expected outcome could be. This has the effect of not only saving a lot of time, but saving the patient a lot of stress and uncertainty too.
VR can also make doctors more empathetic towards their patients. Through VR simulations, a doctor or cardiac surgeon can actually experience what their patient is going through, which is key for medical students and practitioners to develop strong and necessary empathy skills.
VR is rapidly moving towards becoming a game changer in cardiology training. There are several upcoming big players in the market that serve the cardiology section of the healthcare industry. There is no doubt that this technology has the potential to revolutionize cardiology care and change lives.