Those who move in the online world in any capacity will have probably come across a new buzzword in recent months: metaverse. But while the concept itself isn’t actually new, businesses are now seeing it as something that could potentially revolutionize their respective industries.
So far, the metaverse has mostly been covered in the media as an exciting new way to do virtual office meetings, but the extent of possibilities for what it can become to have a real-world impact — particularly within healthcare — is truly quite staggering. So, how could this high-tech solution impact the world of health and wellness, and who is on board?
Healthcare Solutions in the Metaverse
MdDAO is a growing global community that is reimagining healthcare, with the goal to create the world’s first medical metaverse. Stephen Tang, MdDAO’s co-founder and pediatrician, says that the current US healthcare landscape offers plenty of reasons for medical professionals to want something better. Not only is the US healthcare system the most expensive in the world, but also fragmented and inefficient with financial incentives skewed towards the medical establishment, meaning the care offered isn’t always in the best interest of the patient.
“Familiarity with the current system and time constraints to adopting a new initiative, or opportunities to evaluate new initiatives, are additional headwinds for adoption,” Tang says. “Change is often difficult to accept as the rewards may not be immediately apparent.”
“One of the main reasons for starting MdDAO is to address these shortcomings,” Tang says, and to provide tools for the healthcare consumer to achieve health ownership, improved wellness, access to care, and a better insight into health. “I believe physicians and care providers will see a lot of value in the metaverse with a more immersive experience and the potential to become a platform where innovation, health ownership, and patient engagement will thrive,” Tang says. MdDAO is currently undergoing a “phase of exploration and insight” in a community-led process, with the end goal of creating a fully functioning and intuitive health and wellness metaverse.
The Metaverse Is Built For a Digital Generation
According to Tang, the younger generations currently growing up in the most deeply-digitized world we have ever seen, will likely embrace the functionality, accessibility and convenience of the medical metaverse. “They have been weaned on social media, TikTok, and Minecraft,” Tang says. “As these generations age and become healthcare consumers, the metaverse — and in particular, a more personalized iteration that promotes health ownership and engagement — may become a value-added proposition for this group of consumers.” He says that this is an under-the-radar trend that the medical community will soon recognize, with the goals of engaging a healthier population and guiding them towards evidence-based information.
As for older generations, Tang says the metaverse has the potential to be seen as an extension of in-person care with the rise of telemedicine and remote patient monitoring that we are already witnessing. “They may not be interested in visiting a meditation room or entertainment venue, or participating in the gamification of the health metaverse, but that is okay,” he explains, “as there will be optional, less-immersive interfaces for this population.”
Remote Patient Monitoring
The pandemic was devastating to us as a medical community and illustrated the limitations of physical medical offices as many patients, and in particular, patients with chronic diseases, avoided medical facilities and access to preventative care. Not only this, but with an aging population, the importance of designing a more personalized approach to chronic disease management will come to the forefront. This is where Tang says the metaverse could be game-changing in the field of remote patient monitoring. “With our partnership with Nouslogic, Inc., one of the premier innovators in the space, we will gain a better understanding of this particular arena and how to efficiently and effectively manage chronic illnesses in the at-home setting,” Tang says. As the healthcare community integrates RPM into the daily workflow, Tang anticipates efficiency in care with improved outcomes, engagement, and patient satisfaction.
“This will be an opportunity to off-load some of the care from hospitals and in-patient nursing staff,” Tang says. “Physicians will see this as an opportunity to improve clinical outcomes, compliance, as well as a tool to assist with population management and potentially improve patient engagement and health ownership.” Using a photo-realistic avatar interface could also improve workflow patterns and streamline the office experience, offering face-to-face interaction without having to physically go to a doctor’s office.
Improved Access to Care and Virtual Tools
“The metaverse represents the next evolution in immersive communication and will push the boundaries of how we deliver, receive and process information,” Tang mentions. Essentially, this means that the metaverse could potentially enhance patient experience and improve engagement and disease IQ. To further build upon this partnership, the intention is to integrate a rewards program that incentivizes healthy choices, preventative care and medical compliance. He adds that physicians need to be the primary drivers of this change from the standpoint of disease management, education, wellness education, preventive care, and mental health management and detection. “There is also an enormous opportunity to utilize this venue for medical and professional education and to reach out across physical barriers to gain access to other institutions.”
Health And Wellness Ownership
Above all else, Tang says the metaverse offers an unprecedented opportunity to improve overall wellbeing. “Within the metaverse, there are opportunities to create tools to approach health and wellness more holistically, with an emphasis on wellness, longevity, mental health issues, exercise, and healthy choices,” he says. “From an altruistic standpoint, this is why I chose to enter the medical field, and this is an exciting area to innovate and imagine how to integrate this concept in the marketplace and community.”
The community behind this movement strongly believe that the metaverse has the potential to create greater health ownership and foster a sense of health partnership within the medical field. However, this is something Tang says needs to be spearheaded by physicians and healthcare providers themselves. “This is the beauty of this space. We, as healthcare professionals, can create and imagine the future and how to improve upon and complement the current system.”
Find out more about MdDAO here.
