UCHealth launches its first mobile AR experience for patients

The free UCHealth app now provides patients with access to an augmented reality experience that allows them to choose a virtual puppy to play with while waiting for an appointment or at home. While UCHealth is not the first to use VR for distraction therapy and entertainment, the incorporation of AR enables a more immersive user experience for both patients and medical staff. According to the Aurora, Colorado-based health system, roughly 9,000 users have clicked on the new augmented reality feature since it went online.

UCHealth has promised to roll out new features in the near future. Maintaining AR capabilities within the core UCHealth app ensures that users can use messaging and other features without leaving the app. The healthcare company stated its goal to develop more augmented reality (AR) based interactions between UCHealth patients to help users understand about medical issues, as well as improve mood and decrease anxiety.

Risa Weisberg, chief clinical officer at mental health technology vendor BehaVR, has suggested that VR/AR experiences based on the foundations of empirically supported therapies may serve as an excellent partner to various in-person mental health therapies. Weisberg elaborated, saying that “these experiences,” because they are fully immersive and processed as if they are actually happening to you, have promise to potentially show clinical effectiveness that may be more comparable to that of some in-person therapy, but with the flexibility of being used without a clinician present.

Source: Healthcareitnews