The present study aims to give insights on how to support patient literacy using AR/VR online solutions and effective communication. The future of healthcare is previewed to be human-centric and use a personalised approach to patient treatment. The study confirms AR/VR patient usage is an emerging topic, when compared with other AR/VR health applications. The analysed solutions which had online information were overall mature and accomplished communication to public. The AR/VR solutions intrinsically help in having a clearer communication; they support assertiveness and positivity and can be a literacy promoter. It is recommended to increase AR/VR patient usage and communication, to promote public/patient knowledge and adoption, with advantages to the patient literacy and healthcare system. The solution usage is relevant to educate public/patients and empower self-care. With correct adoption and scale, it can be an enabler to help reduce pressure in healthcare systems.
TopPatient And Health Care Challenges
Digital technologies and innovation are transforming our society. We are in the verge of a new society, society 5.0 (WEF, 2019), a society which aims to be more resilient, sustainable and human-centred (EU, 2021). Society 5.0 aims to give priority to society and planetary wellbeing, respecting the individual human being potential and planet limits.
Albeit the previous vision, there are many challenges to tackle in what concerns to our worldwide health care systems and an human-centered approach.
On one hand, it is accepted world population is growing and ageing (UN, 2019), creating major pressure on health care systems. Worldwide population, at 2019 was previewed to grow and it was expected to have an increased ageing worldwide population. By 2050, 1 in 6 people in the world will be over the age of 65 (1.5 billion), compared with 1 in 11 in 2019 (703 million).
By 2100 older persons will be 61% of world’s population. Globally, in 2015-2020 a person aged 65 years can expect to live 17 additional years, by 2045-2050 is expected to live additionally 19 years.
On the other hand, there is an healthcare professionals scarcity. Before covid-19 there was already worldwide lack of health professionals (WHO, 2020) and healthcare inequalities between countries and world regions (EU, 2020). To achieve universal health coverage by 2030, the world needed millions more professionals (WHO, 2020).
For the past decades healthcare and medicine supplied uniform cures for average patients and symptoms. Society 5.0, previews personalization will be disseminated in healthcare, including in preventing, reducing the onset and aggravation of illness, with the aim to prolong an healthy life expectancy (WEF, 2019). Individuals should be able to take the correct decisions to manage their own health through their life span. The objective is to maximize healthy lives and assure it to every individual. Well-informed and educated patients, are able to manage their own health and medical care during their lives (Vaz de Almeida, 2018; Marcus, 2014; Adapa, 2020). They are able to take better decisions, with positive impact in medium and long run. Only with massive worldwide well informed and educated individuals can we empower at large scale, people and patients to manage, the best they can, their own life and health.
The massification of digital technology has altered the way people access health information. According to Eurostat over 1 in 2 Europeans, in 2019, used internet to seek health information. During covid-19 (WHO covid, 2020), in mental healthcare context, 70% of countries have adopted telemedicine or tele-therapy to overcome disruptions to patients. Covid pressure and technology advancements, makes it more relevant to understand how technology can be used universally and its impact in health care system (Ibrahim, 2019; Rosen, 2016). Rosen (2016) predicts in the future, 2030, more health care services will be provided at home and in the community, away from central hospitals.
The access at scale and the dissemination of digital health technology, will increase healthcare automation and auto-service (WEF, 2019). These trends are supported by new matured technologies, as is the case of augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR), whose market is projected to grow to $1467.83 million by 2023 a CAGR growth of 18.02% (Industry ARC, n.d).
AR/VR solutions have been used in medicine, numerous studies and research has been applied to health care, but in what relates to patient usage and literacy, studies are lacking.
In the present context of rapid changes, is important to understand in what areas AR/VR is being used to support public health care and better health literacy. Furthermore, public and patients are taking the initiative to search for health information online to take decisions about their health and treatments, even more in covid times, when access to health care professionals and treatment are conditioned.
Many systematic and scoping reviews have been done in AR/VR, mainly focused in medicine and health professionals application and not on patient health care (Adapa, 2020). To support patient literacy is important to study how solutions are being communicated to public and patients and simultaneously provide guidance to incorporate best practices and support public in being better informed to their self-care.