AI, big data, VR and blockchain expected to power patient-centric applications

Insights By: Matthew Brady

US and UK experts discussed the future of digital health at a virtual talk, The Benefits of the Rise in Technology Applications in Patient-Centric Care. 

The future of digital health was in the spotlight as experts from the US and UK came together for a virtual talk organised by AI Business, The Benefits of the Rise in Technology Applications in Patient-Centric Care. 

Dylon O’Leary, Director of UK-based MyHealthcare, and Ron Li, Clinical Assistant Professor — Division of Hospital Medicine at Stanford School of Medicine and Medical Informatics Director for Digital Health and AI Clinical Integration at Stanford Health Care, offered views on topics ranging from VR to skillsets.   

The session was held as part of the AI in Verticals Digital Symposium and was moderated by Matthew Brady, Head of Content, Omnia Health.  

During the forecast period, factors such as an expanding patient pool around the world, growing demand to improve patient outcomes, and technological advancements in the healthcare sector are likely to drive market expansion. Other factors expected to fuel market growth in the future are the emergence of metaverse-focused companies around the world, increasing collaborations to develop advanced AR and VR solutions to improve patient output and the overall surgical environment, and rising investments in research and development activities. 

To help shape solutions that focus on delivering experiences over products, 8chilli is rooted in deep technology and their product, HintVR™ is a metaverse platform designed to support surgeons to engage patients in immersive and interactive ways pre- and post-op, medical education, and 3D immersive training. 

Aravind Upadhyaya, Founder and CEO, discusses the details. Excerpts from the interview: 

Is the healthcare landscape changing since the announcement of the metaverse? How will it lend itself to healthcare and is it necessary to align with this development by introducing products and solutions? Related: AI backed hyper personalisation fuels health insurtech’s future

Healthcare applications are all about the evidence, and to clear the fad from the fact, multiple randomised control trials continue to take place across the world to prove the efficacy of the VR system over traditional methods. The metaverse is here to stay and we need to adapt.  
 
As and when the hardware becomes pervasive, people are expected to spend more time in the metaverse, which is why the first-mover advantage is to devise a strategy now. The lessons learned from the implementation will be valuable. In the last five years VR, especially in healthcare, has proven to be the silver lining to attract top talent, most patients, and provide them with the best experience.  Health systems and educational institutions that do not embrace this advanced technology for better patient care and training needs will lose the battle in the next eight years.  

...read more on Omniahealth.com.

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