Healthcare in Virtual Worlds: Exploring Patient Interaction and Medical Training in the Metaverse

The global healthcare sector faces numerous challenges, including rising costs, increasing demand, and staff shortages, heightening the need for resource efficiency and innovative digital solutions. The COVID-19 pandemic, in particular, has exposed weaknesses in healthcare infrastructure and accelerated the adoption of digital health and telemedicine solutions. With modern technologies, telemedicine and remote care have enabled medical consultations without a physical presence in the same place. The rapid development of digitalization and automation has created new models that facilitate more efficient and cost-effective care. In this context, the metaverse is a domain with considerable potential for the future. This modern technology opens new perspectives for healthcare by creating immersive experiences in the metaverse for patients, physicians, and therapists alike. By integrating other advanced technologies – such as artificial intelligence (AI), virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), the Internet of Things (IoT), and robotics – into the metaverse, innovative approaches to delivering high-quality medical services have become possible. Combining these technologies promotes personalized and interactive patient care characterized by immersive experiences. Despite the significant technological advancements in the healthcare sector, there is a need for further research into specific use cases, opportunities, and risks in the context of the metaverse. To address this research gap, five studies were conducted in context of this dissertation. The first of these studies is a systematic literature review (SLR) in Paper A: Towards Tomorrow’s Healthcare: An Examination of Emerging Technologies. The results of this study underscored the necessity for more research on the use of the metaverse in healthcare. This finding was a key factor in defining the metaverse as the focal technology for this dissertation, as it offers intelligent and adaptive solutions that bridge the gap between healthcare providers and patients, thereby significantly improving access to medical services. To investigate the metaverse’s potential to transform healthcare from the perspectives of patients and medical professionals, two qualitative studies, a quantitative study, and a design-science research (DSR) study were conducted. The patient perspective is examined in Paper B: Visit Your Therapist in the Metaverse: Designing a Virtual Environment for Mental Health Counseling and Paper C: Behind the Veil: Exploring Anonymity’s Effect in Emerging Metaverse for Mental Health Therapy. The thematic focus of paper B is on how the metaverse can be designed as a virtual environment for psychological counseling and what key factors influence its successful application in this context. Design principles (DPs) were derived and evaluated based on the literature and twelve expert interviews to guide the design process, increasing the potential for acceptance of the metaverse for therapy visits. Paper B contributes to the growing knowledge by describing DPs for virtual environments that facilitate therapeutic sessions between medical professionals and patients. As the metaverse offers unique opportunities for immersive, interactive therapeutic sessions where patients can remain anonymous, study C investigated whether this anonymity leads to greater openness and honesty during therapy. Therefore, the aim of paper C was to examine the impact of anonymity on patients’ intention to use the metaverse for therapeutic purposes. In a quantitative study, paper C explored how anonymity influences users’ attitudes and motivation to engage in metaverse-based therapy. The findings from paper C provide relevant insights for designing effective therapeutic interventions in virtual environments. From the perspective of medical professionals, this dissertation delves into the transformative potential of the metaverse in medical education and training. Paper D: Transforming Medical Professional Training: Exploring the Metaverse in Education, which includes a SLR and a qualitative study with scenario-based expert interviews, provides a comprehensive understanding of the current state of research and practical applications of the metaverse in medical education. It also underscores the need for further research to fully exploit the transformative potential of the metaverse in healthcare. Paper E: (Patient Care through the Metaverse? Exploring Challenges and Opportunities in the New Digital Environment) addresses the dual perspective of patients and medical professionals by exploring the transformative impact of digital innovation in healthcare, specifically through the lens of the metaverse, which facilitates new interactions between patients and medical professionals. Paper E, a qualitative study, focuses on identifying relevant factors influencing using the metaverse, particularly regarding expectations and challenges. Key findings highlight positive and negative outcomes associated with integrating the metaverse into patient care. By understanding these factors, the study aims to ensure that medical services are tailored to the needs of individuals, making healthcare accessible to everyone, everywhere in the future. Overall, the studies conducted in this dissertation show that patients and medical professionals have a positive outlook on using the metaverse. The metaverse can be used as virtual platforms where patients visit their therapists, and medical professionals conduct their practical training. The studies highlighted the importance of a purposeful metaverse design to minimize user concerns. This dissertation analyzes the potential and limitations of the metaverse in the healthcare sector through various use cases and user groups. It guides developers, researchers, and institutions seeking to integrate the metaverse into healthcare, aiming for long-term acceptance and performance.