The fact that virtual reality (VR) technology can be used for so many other applications is one of its most salable features. HTC’s healthcare division DeepQ recently announced that Taipei Municipal Wan Fang Hospital would be using its standalone headset, the Vive Focus, to create a dedicated multiuser patient education room.
Employing the Vive Focus system in conjunction with a VR human patient education application, both surgeons and families can enter a shared VR space where the surgeons can easily explain surgical procedures to help educate patients.
“Vive Focus can be used as a tool to break down barriers between doctors and their patients to improve care and drive education of patients to new levels,” said Edward Chang, President of HTC’s DeepQ division in a statement. “With Vive Focus, medical consultation can become mobile and more approachable to patients and doctors alike. We’re proud to work with Taipei Municipal Wan Fang Hospital to explore how VR can begin to change medicine.”
While traditional patient consultations tend to involve human anatomy models, smaller structures such as nerves, vessels, and lymph nodes are much harder to portray. The patient application Taipei Municipal Wan Fang Hospital will be using features over 4,000 detailed structural components and microstructures giving a greater understanding of what a particular procedure will entail. As the software is further improved new models and tools will be added.
“In the past, it has been difficult to educate patients on the impacts of a procedure or medical need. Through VR, physicians can now easily talk to patients about human organ structures and treatment plans in a shared environment,” said Kuan-Jen Bai, Dean of Taipei Municipal Wan Fang Hospital.
The hospital also plans to integrate the VR education platform with its Health Information System (HIS) system as part of the patient educational review system. After each VR patient consultation, the public, the family, and healthcare personnel’s review will be digitized.
As DeepQ continues to advance medical VR applications, VRFocus will keep you updated on the latest announcements.