While at HIMSS 2018 this month, I had a chance to connect with healthcare industry experts like Josh Sackman, president at appliedVR, about the role of virtual reality in medicine.
“One out of every three people in the United States experiences pain,” Sackman said, referencing the opioid epidemic. According to Sackman, there need to be alternative solutions for how we treat these people, instead of just cutting them off from their drugs.
Enter virtual reality.
appliedVR offers a VR platform to patients using the Samsung Gear VR headset and a Galaxy phone. From there, patients can test out different drug-free alternatives that can help manage pain and anxiety often associated with medical procedures.
“Every patient is different. What works for you may not work for me,” Sackman said.
“We [are] building out a collection of validated, therapeutic content. Based on patients’ needs, interests and personality types, we can give them the right virtual reality experience to help them recover from surgery or [anything] they’re going through.”
Watch the video to learn more about the potential of VR for treating pain and other health concerns
