We’re strong believers in Augmented Reality, or AR for short. The software we offer at DICOM Director, like Intravision XR, is infused with this technology because we’ve observed how it improves patient outcomes. Intravision XR allows doctors to view anatomical structures in complete detail. This detail includes the spatial relationships between whole organs themselves and detailed internal structures of internal organs. This removes a lot of the guess work in medicine and allows doctors to perform a better job.
And we’re not the only ones who believe in this technology. Analysts believe the global AR healthcare market will grow at a 23 percent compound annual rate from 2017 to 2023. Every day more and more use cases emerge for AR in healthcare. Below are just a couple we think are interesting.
AR in the OR
The Cleveland Clinic uses AR to enhance medical education. The health campus, opened up in partnership with Case Western Reserve University, provides an AR/VR anatomy lab
The Cleveland Clinic has continued to augment its use of AR by utilizing this technology to enhance liver cancer therapy. One of its research teams launched a first-of-its-kind clinical trial evaluating the technology for improving the accuracy and effectiveness of a minimally-invasive thermal therapy (microwave ablation) to destroy liver tumors.
To reach the tumor, a radiologist uses the hologram to escort a biopsy needle to the mass. After the needle is in place, a team delivers microwave energy through the needle to heat and destroy the tumor.
Finding Your Way WithAR
Google is experimenting with AR infused maps. The bright conspicuous graphics overlaid onto a map provides additional assistance to users attempting to get somewhere.
Now, AR is being developed to be used in hospitals as a wayfinding system. Robert Johnson of Venturebeat describes what a common scenario for a patient may look like:
“Upon scheduling a visit, hospital staff or automated emails/text messages could easily provide recommended parking locations and a link to a VR-enabled wayfinding tour. It’s important to add that these tours do not require the creation of a virtual hospital. It’s much easier to build a VR-enabled tour by using software like PTGui that “stitches” together 360-degree panoramic images of the healthcare facility. This is efficient, the technology is readily available, and — perhaps most important — the tour provides the patient or visitor with visuals of exactly what they are going to see on site.”
Patients will be able to find their way to the appropriate department quicker and may bother less hospital staff in the process.
