Could Saving Lives Be Virtual Reality's Killer App?

VR is the next computing platform. The shift is already in motion – we have come too far in the process to go back. True innovation, is when a technology is so transformative; it innately changes our understanding, our thinking and ultimately our lives. I’ve always said that the day when we start to hear “VR saved my life” is the day we turn a corner as an industry; well that day was yesterday when a total stranger walked up to me at an event and said exactly that… “VR SAVED MY LIFE.”

Uses of VR in the medical world offer incredible life-saving benefits, with the potential to help doctors and nurses diagnose and treat virtual patients. No matter how complicated the procedure, without any risk to a living person, a surgeon can practice a procedure in a fully immersive environment or a scientist can conduct research without even putting on her lab coat.

VR in the professional healthcare space is a viable training and treatment opportunity that is worth developing further. Here are just some of the current ways that VR technology is being developed and applied in healthcare applications to treat conditions:

Exposure therapy – For phobic patients, one of the recommended treatments is exposure to their fears, which is possible in a controlled fashion when using VR versions of the phobias. So, if they’re afraid of flying, or enclosed spaces, the VR world can help to deliver these nerve-rattling situations in a way that is easily escapable for the phobic and monitored by the doctors. Psychiatrists at the University of Louisville are currently experimenting with this form of VR exposure therapy that provides a manageable environment for patients facing fears and practicing coping techniques.

Treatment for PTSD – Just as VR can work wonders for phobias, other traumatic psychological anxieties can benefit too, such as helping soldiers with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) find and cope with triggers, within a safe and controllable virtual setting. For instance, a paper from the University of Southern California Institute for Creative Technologies pointed to virtual reality’s use in PTSD treatment as far back as 1997, which was when Georgia Tech released a system called ‘Virtual Vietnam VR’.

Pain management – It might not seem like an obvious avenue for virtual reality, using it as a management tool for actual pain, yet doctors are looking at VR as a distraction therapy in order to assist burns patients, for instance, as it can help them get a handle on their pain levels. As silly as it sounds, the University of Washington created a VR video game called SnowWorld that allows users to throw snowballs at penguins for this very purpose. Apparently, this external stimuli can overwhelm the senses and pain pathways in the brain.

A study by the military showed Virtual Reality to be more effective than morphine for managing pain in soldiers with war wounds and burn injuries!

Phantom limb pain - For amputees, a common medical issue is phantom limb pain where it feels like their lost arm or leg is still causing them sensations and even agony. In the past, mirror therapy has been proven to help as it shows patients a mirror image using the limb they still have, thus finding a sense of relief as the brain syncs up with the feelings of the real and phantom limbs. Therefore, following this train of thought, medical journal Frontiers in Neuroscience published a study that revealed how VR games can potentially help alleviate these pains by using sensors that pick up on these nerve inputs from the brain to phantom limbs. In the VR game, patients are able to use a virtual limb and must complete tasks on-screen that involves controlling their missing parts, which leads to the nerve inputs relaxing the painful “clenched” muscles.

Brain damage assessment and rehabilitation – In a similar way, according to publication ‘CyberPsychology & Behavior’, there are virtual reality experiences that are being used in healthcare for not only assessing brain damage but rehabilitating our functions. Essentially, scientists have developed a VR environment with a CGI building that uses doors of different colors in a game that is comparable to the Wisconsin Card Sorting Task (a neuropsychological test that involves matching cards). In the card sorting test, the test subject isn’t told how to do it, just if they are right or wrong. But in the case of the VR door test, it was deemed to be a more useful and relevant task for those with brain injuries.

Social cognition training for young adults with autism – Just as doctors are able to practice what they’ve learned from life-like VR surgery situations, the University of Texas, Dallas created a special training program to allow young adults with autism to practice social skills in VR environments without any repercussions or consequences. Whether it’s a job interview or a blind date, they can work on reading social cues and socially acceptable behavior. In this study, the professors found that the participants’ brain scans showed increased activity in areas of the brain related to social understanding.

Meditation – Not all of us can beam into a calm and peaceful place to meditate and relax our minds, so there is a wide opportunity for a meditative VR treatment that addresses general anxiety with breathing exercises. DEEP, an app for Oculus Rift, aims to take users into a deeper state of meditation by making breathing the only control for the game. A piece of wearable tech across the chest measures the breathing and the constant deep breaths take the player from one place to another in the game – no joystick or controller required!

Opportunities for the disabled – Not everywhere is wheelchair accessible… unless you’re in the limitless virtual world! Back in 1994, the New York Times published an article about the possibility of VR allowing a wheelchair-bound boy with cerebral palsy to ride through a grassy field, or enabling children with cancer to swim, virtually, in a colorful fish tank world. More recently, VR headset maker #Fove crowdfunded an app called Eye Play the Piano that allows physically disabled kids to play the piano using Fove’s eye tracking technology.

Opportunities for the homebound – In a similar vein, disabled or bedridden/homebound adults and the elderly would be able to experience an immersive virtual world in ways that might no longer be physically possible for them in the real world. The result is an improvement in their quality of life as they leave behind the four walls that usually confine them on a daily basis.

For instance, Stanford University tried a VR experience with seniors, giving them the sensation of riding a bike and walking on the beach. They called it SUSIE, or Senior-User Soothing Immersive Experience, and it incorporated sound, light, wind, and even temperature changes to make it as real as possible, and instead of headsets, the seniors faced a large wall-mounted display that filled their normal field of vision. Ultimately, technology like SUSIE can put a smile on your face – one of the best forms of medicine.

VR Healthcare & Medical Education – The most common use of Virtual Reality will be in medical education. The potential of VR for human learning is immense; from frequent procedures to those that cannot be practiced even on a cadaver. For many clinicians, the first time they actually practice certain infrequent procedures is when the patient is on the table.

Humans are visual learners and VR is proven to be the most natural way to learn. It is so effective, that recall after a year is higher than recall one week after reading a book, because you are actually living the experience in VR and creating memories.

My company CEEK VR created a VR CPR application for Miami Children’s Hospital and our focus group of EMTs, parents, nurses, clinicians and care takers all indicated that they felt more compelled to save the life of the victim when they were in the VR environment, unlike watching a video they were more empathetic learning using our VR CPR App. The faces and places they encountered in the virtual world stayed with them long after they completed the VR course. 

Patient & Community Education - 70% of Americans do not know how to do CPR. 88% of cardiac arrests occur at home; sadly less than 8% of victims survive, effective bystander CPR can triple a victim’s chance of survival. Every day it's estimated that about 600 women die from pregnancy and childbirth related complications around the world. What if we equipped people with VR training before, during and after childbirth so entire communities can become more effective at helping these women?

Other uses of VR patient education could include patient consent – actually showing patients what they are about to undergo in VR before they go under ? Patients are more responsible for their welfare when they understand what’s happening in their bodies. Besides, VR Education is far cheaper than malpractice law suits. For patient education, focus groups that we conducted many participants indicated that they clearly understood what they were looking at in VR, they felt smarter and better prepared.

How will VR healthcare and education be delivered? Via VR mobile Apps like CEEK VR. Why? Out of the world’s estimated 7.3 billion people, 6 billion have access to mobile phones. Far fewer — only 4.5 billion people — have access to working toilets. Our mission with the amazing tool that is VR; is to work with the best minds and teams to impact, transform and save lives with virtual reality.

Everyone is on the hunt for the next big thing in VR. Maybe, just maybe - Life-Saving VR could be Virtual Reality’s real killer app.

Mary Spio is the Founder & CEO of CEEK Virtual Reality and author of It’s Not Rocket Science: 7 Game-Changing Traits for Uncommon Success