Covid-19 has been an eye-opening experience for most of us. It makes us realize the power of community, the importance of innovation, and the fragility of our lives. Due to hospital regulations, we have witnessed some people die alone during the pandemic without their family or loved ones around. Can VR and holograms reduce the emotional burden on families, patients and clinicians in future crises when patients are unable to be with their loved ones?
Covid has led to a dramatic reduction in medical resources, including medical staff, ethicists and other critical resources to manage the demands and psychological stress of helping those in need. This applies not only to Covid patients, but also to patients admitted for other medical reasons. The ongoing crisis is causing physical and mental exhaustion for our frontline workers.
They experience significant levels of anxiety, depression and sheer psychological distress as they do their best to directly care for Covid patients while worrying about their health and spreading the virus to their families. The lack of ventilators and personal protective equipment increased their stress levels and created a sense of helplessness, leading to higher rates of doctors quitting smoking and even suicide.They are increasingly anxious about taking on new clinical roles and expanding their work to support colleagues, and most importantly, they are managing anxiety, depression and Psychological distress.
ICU physicians in particular face tough times. Dr. Lakshman Swamy, Pulmonary and Critical Care Physician at Cambridge Health Alliance, Lecturer in Medicine at Harvard Medical School, Wrote an article in the Washington Post In it he expresses how ICU physicians are working to bridge the emotional and digital divide and go above and beyond to bring compassion and keep patients alive.
isolated death
One of the most troubling and distressing issues during a pandemic is watching people die alone, with no family by their side. Fear of being quarantined in a hospital also negatively affects people’s choice to delay care. This predicament only exacerbates the severity of their health conditions.
Hospitals, emergency departments and long-term care facilities have been forced to develop visitor protocols to curb the spread. While logical and perfectly reasonable, the impact of this policy on clinicians, patients, and family members is enormous.
But what if it doesn’t have to be this way? Can public health policies and health systems take into account new technologies that allow humans to maintain empathy in future health emergencies? Can virtual reality bring a ray of peace to suffering patients? Can holographic technology bring family members directly into the ward and bring them joy? These techniques are by no means a substitute for humans or face-to-face contact, but may significantly alleviate the isolation during periods of extreme psychological distress.
The role of virtual reality in palliative care is being studied. In fact, patients with chronic pain Less pain medication taken while playing VR games. What if dying Covid patients could use VR to visit their favorite places?
Imagine if you could take advantage of the way holographic technology NASA did teleport a doctor to the International Space StationUsing holograms to bring a patient’s loved ones to their room may have a positive effect on their mental state, reducing the stress of our physicians (like Dr Swami). I am a firm believer that if we used this technology, it could bring comfort, empathy, and humanity to our healthcare ecosystem.
We didn’t do it this time, but there is always tomorrow.
Photo: LightFieldStudios, Getty Images
