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Transforming health through the metaverse

 A real change is on the horizon. In October 2021, Facebook announced that it would rebrand itself as ‘Meta’, and this generated high levels of public interest in the metaverse for the first time. Definitions for the metaverse vary and there is still much uncertainty in its eventual future manifestation. It is perhaps best defined as a fully immersive parallel digital reality where users will be able to interact at a scale previously unimagined.

The advent of the metaverse could have transformational impact on every aspect of human life, from our social interactions to what we ascribe real value to. Just as the Internet has completely transformed health, the metaverse will redefine virtual and physical possibilities in health.2 This will have major implications for our health and for healthcare delivery. The coming of age of the metaverse is in due largely to the maturation of technological advances in artificial intelligence and devices that enable the delivery of mixed, augmented and virtual reality, along with cryptography, the catalyst behind web3, and increased computing power.

The metaverse has the potential to greatly impact the field of healthcare. For example, virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) technologies could be used to create immersive, interactive experiences for patients, such as virtual tours of the human body to help them better understand their conditions. These technologies could also be used to train medical professionals in a safe, controlled environment, allowing them to gain experience and improve their skills without risking the health of real patients. Additionally, the metaverse could facilitate remote consultations and telemedicine, allowing patients to receive care from a wider range of medical professionals, regardless of their location. 

Read the full article in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine.

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