S C R U B B I N G U P growing use of wearables that monitor vital signs and other key health indicators give clinicians an opportunity to transform yearly checkups into year-round wellness regimens .
For instance , patients may visit a healthcare provider ’ s office for bloodwork and other testing and then receive follow-up care through a self-service patient portal . They can get clinical advice on how to improve their health and prescriptions for any needed medications . Health data collected via wearable technologies can then indicate progress toward short- and long-term health objectives .
While the pandemic popularised remote care through necessity , there ’ s a growing demand for it as the pandemic recedes , primarily among younger patients who are comfortable interacting with technology . Apple Watches , Fitbits and other consumer electronics have heightened the awareness of health information like heart rates , sleep cycles , etc .
Forward-thinking healthcare providers are thrilled with this development because getting patients more aware of and involved in improving their own health has long been an objective and technology offers an avenue to bring more patients on board . When patients and providers embrace healthcare technology , including AR / VR , overall healthcare outcomes can be improved , which is everyone ’ s goal .
Providing hands-on care remotely
Intuitively , people see some medical specialities as obvious candidates for remote care delivery . Psychotherapy is one field that readily takes to remote care – there are popular services available now where people FaceTime therapists instead of visiting an office . Dermatology is another specialty that easily lends itself to remote care with the use of cameras so clinicians can examine skin conditions .
What may be surprising at first is that physical therapy – one of the most handson specialties in healthcare – is not only amenable to remote care delivery but one of the fastest-growing segments of AR / VR applications in medicine . Physical therapists need to observe patients closely to assess their current status and monitor progress , but they also rely on data . AR / VR applications provide both .
With the right technology stack , physical therapists can observe patients via a camera while AR / VR applications measure the patient ' s range of motion and model movements on a diagram for the therapist to review . The measurements and models generated are better than what physical therapists can create in a studio and enable closer tracking of progress and deficits .
Overcoming reimbursement hurdles
These are just some of the AR / VR applications being used today . In the coming years , organisations will deploy more technology to address the major challenges that affect the healthcare industry , including the scarcity of certain types of specialists , a persistent shortage of healthcare workers caring for an ageing population , as well as the physical and financial barriers to accessing care .
It ’ s important to note that payers can be part of the solution . Teleconference technology that enables simple remote patientclinician interactions has been available for years , but until the pandemic forced the issue , reimbursement policies at insurance companies and government payers like Medicaid and Medicare didn ’ t encourage technology adoption . Now they do .
The technology exists to enable physicians to deliver more advanced care remotely – for example , using robots activated by advanced pressure gloves worn by the clinician .
But patient acceptance is still catching up with technical capabilities and that plus reimbursement policies will be deciding factors . In the meantime , healthcare providers are working with technology teams to virtualise specialties .
The most future-focused healthcare organisations are working with technology providers in labs to test new treatment options and fine-tune healthcare applications , coming up with exciting new developments that will change the way doctors practice medicine . This is how AR / VR will ultimately transform healthcare and patients and providers alike will benefit from it . �
Mark McNeill , Business Development Manager , Healthcare , TBI
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