Revolutionizing Healthcare: A Comprehensive Review of Metaverse Integration for Enhanced Patient Outcomes, Medical Practices, The Potential Applications, Challenges and Future Direction

Ahmad Anwar bin Zainuddin; Muhammad Hafiz Faruqi Md Saifuddin; Wan Muhammad Arif Wan Azman; Abdul Ghafur Fuadi; Ahmad Adam Nadzeeran Ahmad Nadzri; Muhammad Hussaini Mohamad Fadil; Nuramiratul  Aisyah Ruzaidi

Authors

Ahmad Anwar bin Zainuddin International Islamic University Malaysia
Muhammad Hafiz Faruqi Md Saifuddin International Islamic University Malaysia
Wan Muhammad Arif Wan Azman International Islamic University Malaysia
Abdul Ghafur Fuadi International Islamic University Malaysia
Ahmad Adam Nadzeeran Ahmad Nadzri International Islamic University Malaysia
Muhammad Hussaini Mohamad Fadil International Islamic University Malaysia
Nuramiratul Aisyah Ruzaidi International Islamic University Malaysia

Keywords:

Metaverse healthcare VR potential future trends

Abstract

Integrating the Metaverse into the healthcare system can significantly improve patient outcomes, medical education, and healthcare practices. This study examines the various uses of the Metaverse, emphasizing the essential technologies that make it possible, such as Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR), Extended Reality (XR), and digital twins for personalized care. The report highlights the challenges that healthcare professionals may face while suggesting future paths in the healthcare field. Topics examined include telemedicine, medical education, and the potential advancements that can be achieved with AR, VR, XR, and digital twins. Notable uses encompass virtual counseling, medical training and education, digital therapeutics, and telemedicine. While integrating the Metaverse into healthcare can significantly enhance patient care, it may pose privacy and security risks, incur high costs, require legal compliance, and affect trust in patient-technology relationships. However, future trends should address security and legal issues, balance social and virtual life, and enhance medical training and education. By using augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), extended reality (XR), and digital twins, the healthcare industry can improve patient communication, research and decision-making processes, remote healthcare services, precise medical education training, and tailored patient care. These technologies present a unique opportunity to transform healthcare while addressing privacy, security, and sustainability issues. The purpose of this paper is to review the topic comprehensively, provide suggestions for future research and advancement in this domain, and provide insights into the potential of the Metaverse to revolutionize healthcare.

References

R. Chengoden et al., “Metaverse for Healthcare: A Survey on Potential Applications, Challenges and Future Directions,” 2022, doi: 10.48550/ARXIV.2209.04160.

T.-C. Wu and C.-T. B. Ho, “A scoping review of metaverse in emergency medicine,” Australasian Emergency Care, vol. 26, no. 1, pp. 75–83, Mar. 2023, doi: 10.1016/j.auec.2022.08.002.

G. Bansal, K. Rajgopal, V. Chamola, Z. Xiong, and D. Niyato, “Healthcare in Metaverse: A Survey on Current Metaverse Applications in Healthcare,” IEEE Access, vol. 10, pp. 119914–119946, 2022, doi: 10.1109/ACCESS.2022.3219845.

Y. Hu and J. Pang, “Research on the new path of deepening grassroots medical care from the perspective of metaverse,” AJMSS, vol. 2, no. 1, pp. 81–84, Mar. 2023, doi: 10.54097/ajmss.v2i1.6375.

T. Huynh-The, Q.-V. Pham, X.-Q. Pham, T. T. Nguyen, Z. Han, and D.-S. Kim, “Artificial intelligence for the metaverse: A survey,” Engineering Applications of Artificial Intelligence, vol. 117, p. 105581, Jan. 2023, doi: 10.1016/j.engappai.2022.105581.

M. Uddin, S. Manickam, H. Ullah, M. Obaidat, and A. Dandoush, “Unveiling the Metaverse: Exploring Emerging Trends, Multifaceted Perspectives, and Future Challenges,” IEEE Access, vol. 11, pp. 87087–87103, 2023, doi: 10.1109/ACCESS.2023.3281303.

A. Garavand and N. Aslani, “Metaverse phenomenon and its impact on health: A scoping review,” Informatics in Medicine Unlocked, vol. 32, p. 101029, 2022, doi: 10.1016/j.imu.2022.101029.

Y. Wang et al., “A Survey on Metaverse: Fundamentals, Security, and Privacy,” IEEE Commun. Surv. Tutorials, vol. 25, no. 1, pp. 319–352, 2023, doi: 10.1109/COMST.2022.3202047.

Y. Siriwardhana, G. Gür, M. Ylianttila, and M. Liyanage, “The role of 5G for digital healthcare against COVID-19 pandemic: Opportunities and challenges,” ICT Express, vol. 7, no. 2, pp. 244–252, Jun. 2021, doi: 10.1016/j.icte.2020.10.002.

D. K. Murala, S. K. Panda, and S. P. Dash, “MedMetaverse: Medical Care of Chronic Disease Patients and Managing Data Using Artificial Intelligence, Blockchain, and Wearable Devices State-of-the-Art Methodology,” IEEE Access, vol. 11, pp. 138954–138985, 2023, doi: 10.1109/ACCESS.2023.3340791.

O. Adigozel, T. Mérey, and M. Mathews, “The Health Care Metaverse Is More Than a Virtual Reality,” 2023.

S. Ali et al., “Metaverse in Healthcare Integrated with Explainable AI and Blockchain: Enabling Immersiveness, Ensuring Trust, and Providing Patient Data Security,” Sensors, vol. 23, no. 2, p. 565, Jan. 2023, doi: 10.3390/s23020565.

L. Shao, W. Tang, Z. Zhang, and X. Chen, “MEDICAL METAVERSE: TECHNOLOGIES, APPLICATIONS, CHALLENGES AND FUTURE,” J. Mech. Med. Biol., vol. 23, no. 02, p. 2350028, Mar. 2023, doi: 10.1142/S0219519423500288.

B. Acidi, M. Ghallab, S. Cotin, E. Vibert, and N. Golse, “Augmented reality in liver surgery,” Journal of Visceral Surgery, vol. 160, no. 2, pp. 118–126, Apr. 2023, doi: 10.1016/j.jviscsurg.2023.01.008.

S. Elkefi and O. Asan, “Digital Twins for Managing Health Care Systems: Rapid Literature Review,” J Med Internet Res, vol. 24, no. 8, p. e37641, Aug. 2022, doi: 10.2196/37641.

C. W. Lee, “Application of Metaverse Service to Healthcare Industry: A Strategic Perspective,” IJERPH, vol. 19, no. 20, p. 13038, Oct. 2022, doi: 10.3390/ijerph192013038.

A. Logeswaran, C. Munsch, Y. J. Chong, N. Ralph, and J. McCrossnan, “The role of extended reality technology in healthcare education: Towards a learner-centred approach,” Future Healthc J, vol. 8, no. 1, pp. e79–e84, Mar. 2021, doi: 10.7861/fhj.2020-0112.

E. J. Kim and J. Y. Kim, “The Metaverse for Healthcare: Trends, Applications, and Future Directions of Digital Therapeutics for Urology,” Int Neurourol J, vol. 27, no. Suppl 1, pp. S3-12, May 2023, doi: 10.5213/inj.2346108.054.

A. Dang, D. Arora, and P. Rane, “Role of digital therapeutics and the changing future of healthcare,” J Family Med Prim Care, vol. 9, no. 5, p. 2207, 2020, doi: 10.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_105_20.

A. Musamih et al., “Metaverse in Healthcare: Applications, Challenges, and Future Directions,” IEEE Consumer Electron. Mag., vol. 12, no. 4, pp. 33–46, Jul. 2023, doi: 10.1109/MCE.2022.3223522.

L. Petrigna and G. Musumeci, “The Metaverse: A New Challenge for the Healthcare System: A Scoping Review,” JFMK, vol. 7, no. 3, p. 63, Aug. 2022, doi: 10.3390/jfmk7030063.

B. Bhatia and S. Joshi, “Applications of Metaverse in the Healthcare Industry,” in 2023 International Conference on Innovative Data Communication Technologies and Application (ICIDCA), Uttarakhand, India: IEEE, Mar. 2023, pp. 344–350. doi: 10.1109/ICIDCA56705.2023.10099897.

H. Ullah, S. Manickam, M. Obaidat, S. U. A. Laghari, and M. Uddin, “Exploring the Potential of Metaverse Technology in Healthcare: Applications, Challenges, and Future Directions,” IEEE Access, vol. 11, pp. 69686–69707, 2023, doi: 10.1109/ACCESS.2023.3286696.

N. Rane, S. Choudhary, and J. Rane, “Healthcare Metaverse: Applications, Challenges, and Future Development,” SSRN Journal, 2023, doi: 10.2139/ssrn.4637901.

K. Kim, H. Yang, J. Lee, and W. G. Lee, “Metaverse Wearables for Immersive Digital Healthcare: A Review,” Advanced Science, vol. 10, no. 31, p. 2303234, Nov. 2023, doi: 10.1002/advs.202303234.

K. Lee, “Counseling Psychological Understanding and Considerations of the Metaverse: A Theoretical Review,” Healthcare, vol. 11, no. 18, p. 2490, Sep. 2023, doi: 10.3390/healthcare11182490.

A. Athar, S. M. Ali, M. A. I. Mozumder, S. Ali, and H.-C. Kim, “Applications and Possible Challenges of Healthcare Metaverse,” in 2023 25th International Conference on Advanced Communication Technology (ICACT), Pyeongchang, Korea, Republic of: IEEE, Feb. 2023, pp. 328–332. doi: 10.23919/ICACT56868.2023.10079314.

H.-S. Nguyen et al., “A Bibliometrics Analysis of Medical Internet of Things for Modern Healthcare,” Electronics, vol. 12, no. 22, p. 4586, Nov. 2023, doi: 10.3390/electronics12224586.

A. K. Bashir et al., “Federated Learning for the Healthcare Metaverse: Concepts, Applications, Challenges, and Future Directions,” IEEE Internet Things J., vol. 10, no. 24, pp. 21873–21891, Dec. 2023, doi: 10.1109/JIOT.2023.3304790.

A. M. Al-Ghaili et al., “A Review of Metaverse’s Definitions, Architecture, Applications, Challenges, Issues, Solutions, and Future Trends,” IEEE Access, vol. 10, pp. 125835–125866, 2022, doi: 10.1109/ACCESS.2022.3225638.

M. J. Koohsari et al., “The Metaverse, the Built Environment, and Public Health: Opportunities and Uncertainties,” J Med Internet Res, vol. 25, p. e43549, Feb. 2023, doi: 10.2196/43549.