Virtual Reality Technology Brings Surgeries Beyond Hospital Borders

Put on a Virtual Reality (VR) headset, and you can enter a make-believe simulated 3D setting—to interact with others, explore a virtual gallery like the Louvre in France, attend a virtual concert, or participate in different interactive fitness activities, all in the comfort of your home. The entertainment value of VR for people of all ages, even seniors in retirement facilities, continues to expand in popularity as the sophistication of the technology increases.

It is a natural leap for VR applications to infiltrate other sectors like the government or the military. With a relatively small footprint for device management and software, VR technology has expanded opportunities to carry out field missions and deliver functional services in ways unheard of even ten years ago. VR technology is also integral to the digital transformation and innovation in hospitals and Health Research Institutes, enhancing medical simulation education and supporting remote virtual healthcare environments. 

The immersive VR aspect makes it an exciting vehicle for diverse applications, like training doctors on new surgery procedures or aiding patients in rehabilitation therapies. The correlation between movement and visual response allows surgeons to interact with and manipulate robotic surgical tools remotely with the same precision and stability required as in person. Pre-op, they can review models of their patient’s body for enhanced planning, even practicing intricate steps in this virtual surgical setting, and extend advanced care like never before. 

Other emerging applications with VR include education for medical students, doctors, and nurses, as well as research in pain management, medical education, cognitive rehabilitation, and research in mental health disorders, phobias, depression, or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) treatment.

Complexity of VR Buildouts

The global virtual reality (VR) healthcare market, which was roughly $628 million in 2022, is projected to reach $6.2 billion by 2029. Organizations expanding into these areas will budget for equipment, headsets, controllers, robotic arms, beds, and other platforms like medical carts. With new technology, the ability to deploy solutions quickly to meet new needs will depend on choosing infrastructure that can scale with the technology and choosing manufacturing partners that understand how the needs from application to application may differ vastly.

First Product’s Virtual Tour de Force

First Product’s VR Training Simulation Cart supports applications initially designed to meet specific training needs within a national government agency and is now available for broader use in the market. The VR Training Cart provides a streamlined solution for virtual reality training, featuring a compact, ergonomic design that securely supports VR goggles and essential equipment like a CPU, Wi-Fi router, monitor, and more. The cart is height-adjustable for diverse users, has built-in technology security features, and is customizable for specific devices and equipment. First Product carts can seamlessly support healthcare teams with virtual reality systems and remote healthcare devices in training, healthcare, and telesurgery environments.  

Digital Technology Transformation Starts with the Right Cart 

First Products offers a partnership relationship that sees clients through from concept to implementation. By manufacturing in the U.S.A., clients benefit from faster turnarounds for prototypes and from customizing and designing a perfect technology fit for any workflow, from start to finish. This process saves clients valuable time when testing and implementing new applications, providing more substantial returns on investment. 

Listen to First Products CEO Paul Smith’s Next Digital Health HIMSS 2024 interview to hear more about First Products' approach to the transformative impact of telehealth technology on the healthcare industry.

“We work with the best partners that we can find. Depending on the needs of each provider and caregiver, we help them work through all the issues upfront, like data and equipment security. Our carts help enable the chosen technology and software, creating a stable, robust, and scalable platform, literally in the case of telesurgery, for surgeons to operate on,” said Smith. 

These unique and strategic partnerships ensure that carts are deployed into workflows and fully operational from day one. This reduces the load on healthcare IT staff and helps patients receive more immediate care with new technologies.  

Is VR an Accepted Technology?

Research reveals that up to 62% of patients are open to their doctors offering VR healthcare services instead of traditional methods. Healthcare professionals are on board as well. Eighty-two percent find VR helps students and professionals access and learn critical procedures and methodologies. Most importantly, VR applications can improve the patient experience during procedures by creating customizable experiences and providing greater accessibility to diverse groups who might not otherwise have access. The benefits for the healthcare stakeholders encompass financial gains and improved training and retention.        

The Future Is Now

The success of Telehealth applications and solutions has paved the way for VR in the healthcare sector. As technology becomes further embedded in all areas of our lives, new uses emerge, removing barriers and expanding opportunities, especially in light of the skilled staffing shortages of recent years and declining budgets for in-person visits, training, or procedures. Virtual reality's ability to simulate a real-life experience can help teams overcome obstacles to learning, get them up to speed faster and address critical needs. 

As the technology continues to expand on the horizon, First Products will be there, helping tech pioneers customize experiences for caregivers, surgeons, and researchers, too, delivering a platform that flexibly bends and grows with you wherever the technology takes you. 

We’ll demonstrate our VR Training Cart at HIMSS in Las Vegas, booth #6232. Are you planning to attend? Contact us at sales@firstproducts.com for more information or to set up a meeting. With First Products, digital transformation and innovation are a reality.