The next generation of healthcare ecosystem in the metaverse

Yong Li; Dinesh Visva Gunasekeran; Narrendar RaviChandran; Ting Fang Tan; Jasmine Chiat Ling Ong; Arun James Thirunavukarasu; Bryce W Polascik; Ranya Habash; Khizer Khaderi; Daniel Sw Ting

doi:10.1016/j.bj.2023.100679

The next generation of healthcare ecosystem in the metaverse

Biomed J. 2023 Dec 2:100679. doi: 10.1016/j.bj.2023.100679. Online ahead of print.

Affiliations

¹ Singapore National Eye Centre, Singapore Eye Research Institute, Singapore, Singapore; Duke-NUS Medical School, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore.
² Singapore National Eye Centre, Singapore Eye Research Institute, Singapore, Singapore; Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore.
³ Singapore National Eye Centre, Singapore Eye Research Institute, Singapore, Singapore.
⁴ Department of Pharmacy, Singapore General Hospital, Singapore, Singapore.
⁵ School of Clinical Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
⁶ Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA.
⁷ Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, University of Miami, Florida, USA.
⁸ Department of Ophthalmology, Stanford University, California, USA.
⁹ Singapore National Eye Centre, Singapore Eye Research Institute, Singapore, Singapore; Duke-NUS Medical School, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore; Department of Ophthalmology, Stanford University, California, USA. Electronic address: daniel.ting@duke-nus.edu.sg.

PMID: 38048990
DOI: 10.1016/j.bj.2023.100679

Abstract

The Metaverse has gained wide attention for being the application interface for the next generation of Internet. The potential of the Metaverse is growing, as Web 3·0 development and adoption continues to advance medicine and healthcare. We define the next generation of interoperable healthcare ecosystem in the Metaverse. We examine the existing literature regarding the Metaverse, explain the technology framework to deliver an immersive experience, along with a technical comparison of legacy and novel Metaverse platforms that are publicly released and in active use. The potential applications of different features of the Metaverse, including avatar-based meetings, immersive simulations, and social interactions are examined with different roles from patients to healthcare providers and healthcare organizations. Present challenges in the development of the Metaverse healthcare ecosystem are discussed, along with potential solutions including capabilities requiring technological innovation, use cases requiring regulatory supervision, and sound governance. This proposed concept and framework of the Metaverse could potentially redefine the traditional healthcare system and enhance digital transformation in healthcare. Similar to AI technology at the beginning of this decade, real-world development and implementation of these capabilities are relatively nascent. Further pragmatic research is needed for the development of an interoperable healthcare ecosystem in the Metaverse.

Keywords: Artificial intelligence; Ecosystem; Healthcare; Metaverse; Web 3·0.