Artificial Intelligence and Metaverse Applications in the Healthcare Sector

I. Introduction

“Healthcare stands as one of the foremost factors in ensuring the overall physical, social, and mental well-being of the global population. The primary aim of any healthcare system is to direct its efforts toward activities that support, rehabilitate, sustain, and enhance healthcare services. This field has witnessed rapid growth and transformation, largely influenced by technological advancements, with the goal of improving the interaction between caregivers, patients, and relevant stakeholders. The introduction of digital health services, utilizing digital and internet tools, has significantly impacted the interaction between patients and physicians on a grand scale, with changes driven by technologies such as blockchain, augmented reality, and virtual reality. The imperative to implement advanced digital tools and services has become essential to ensure optimal consumer satisfaction, facilitate health status monitoring, and enhance medication adherence” (Mitchell & Kan, 2019). The current trend in healthcare is shifting towards a broader focus on health and well-being rather than just medical treatment, leading to changes in services and how they are provided. Organizations are promoting the integration of virtual care, remote monitoring, digital diagnostics, decision support systems, home delivery of medications, and self-service applications for educational and social support. These advancements have significantly reshaped healthcare, making operations more efficient and services more accessible, improving the experiences of both patients and clinicians. Technologies such as artificial intelligence, cloud computing, Augmented Reality (AR), and Virtual Reality (VR) have been instrumental in facilitating these improvements. In the healthcare system of the Metaverse, patients receive immersive and personalized care, leveraging advanced technologies like AI, AR, VR, telepresence, digital twinning, and blockchain, all of which have a profound impact on healthcare (Senbekov et al., 2020; Sharma & Kshetri, 2020).

Artificial intelligence and metaverse applications are burgeoning areas in the healthcare industry. The metaverse denotes a virtual space that surpasses the current internet in its immersive, interactive, and interconnected nature. It amalgamates various technologies to introduce novel opportunities in healthcare (Machaiah, 2017). Some of the advantages are:

• •

  Improving healthcare access by connecting patients and providers regardless of their location.

• •

  Improving diagnostic precision and surgical quality through advanced technology.

• •

  Decreasing expenses in healthcare delivery, education, and administration.

• •

  Introducing prospects for storing, sharing, and accessing various data types (patient, claims, provider).

• •

  Enriching satisfaction of patients and insurance members while introducing new services to broaden revenue streams.

• •

  Reducing operational expenses by optimizing functions like recruitment, training, and payment processes.

Some of the examples of metaverse applications in healthcare are:

• ●

  Use of virtual reality for medical education, mental health, and pain management

• ●

  Use of augmented reality for surgery, imaging, and patient education

• ●

  Use of blockchain for supply chain verification, data security, and payment

• ●

  Use of M-worlds for medical training, meetings, and conferences