AR in Healthcare: Use Cases, Applications, and Challenges

AR in Healthcare isn't just futuristic hype—it’s redefining surgeries, training, and patient care. Dive into the full story and see how it's changing the game!

In 2020,  the CHRISTUS MUGUERZA Hospital in Conchita, Mexico, stunned the medical industry. A doctor named Abraham del Real performed surgery, but it wasn’t as old-fashioned as you’re habitual of listening about.

The surgery combined elements of AR in healthcare and set an example of medical industry advancements. Dr. Abraham was equipped with a Microsoft HoloLens, a see-through screen device, while performing the surgery.

As a result, instead of shuffling through the papers and clunky charts, he was precisely operating using 3D visuals floating on his screen. These visuals were X-rays, CT scans, 3D models of organs, and more.

But that’s just one example of AR in healthcare!

With the industry set to scale up at a CAGR of 25.4% until 2031, the integration of AR and the healthcare industry is not just limited to ‘what ifs’ anymore. 

The tech is exploring its options to make the industry smarter and more efficient than it was ever before.

So, we decided to dive deeper and prepare a collection of amazing augmented reality use cases in healthcare.

Let’s get started!

What exactly is AR in healthcare?

Here’s the one thing about Augmented Reality: it doesn’t just impact industries; it reshapes them. 

The same goes for the healthcare industry as well!

Forget the idea that AR is just about turning X-rays into floating images. That’s just scratching the surface.

AR can:

• Map out the patient’s anatomy in real-time, giving surgeons X-ray vision.
• Help doctors practice before diving into the real deal.
• Turn medical training into a hands-on interactive experience (without relying too much on cadavers).
• Guide rehabilitation patients through interactive exercises for faster recovery.

Understand it like this: 

When you decide to use AR, you get access to a set of digital 3D models that represent something real. It could be a vein, an organ, or probably the entire body. 

As we have emphasized before, the goal of the integration of both is to enhance the efficiency of the medical field.

The result?

• More accurate diagnoses.
• Fewer human errors.
• And a whole new level of risk-free medical education and training.

How Does Augmented Reality in Healthcare Work?

There are plenty of ways in which AR is leveraged in the healthcare industry. To simplify, it puts interactive digital objects between you and the real world. That way, the healthcare industry gets freedom from hard-to-decrypt stats and a typical series of endless images.

If you’re new to it, brace yourselves for some mindblowing facts ahead.

Hardware and Devices Powering 

At the core of tech, AR is heavily dependent on hardware configurations that are rapidly evolving. These specialized hardware components render ultrarealistic 3D models into the real world, requiring significant amounts of hardware intelligence.

We have curated some examples to discuss the tech on the hardware level. 

Let’s see!

Optical See-through Head Mounted Displays (HMDs)

Devices like HaloLens and Magic Leap are equipped with transparent screens to superimpose digital visuals onto the real world. This helps medical experts to remain focused on the patient during surgeries instead of having to be dependent on hard copies of X-rays, CT scans, etc.

Video See-Through HMDs

It doesn’t involve using a transparent screen- that’s the twist.

Instead, it uses tiny video cameras, keeps recording stuff in the field of view in real time, and overlays the digital data on these videos. 

That’s not the coolest part!

It does all that in milliseconds. Well, at least AR devices that are designed for industrial use can achieve that power, even if not the regular ones.

AR Smart Glasses

Unlike HMDs, smart glasses are more convenient, accessible, and portable. Vuzix Blade and Google Glass Enterprise, two pioneers experimenting with augmented reality in healthcare markets, use waveguide technology.

It projects elements directly into the users’ field of vision and enables hands-free access to patient data.

Handheld AR Devices

Not every ability of AR in medical needs to be leveraged through smart glasses. 

Even smartphones and tablets are making their features more accessible than ever. 

Devices that are equipped with LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) sensors and AI-powered AR frameworks (like ARCore for Android and ARKit for iOS) can scan and map the surrounding environment in real-time.

This means as a medical professional, you can’t just stick to staring at static images. Now, you can interact, zoom in, rotate, and get into specific details of what you see on the screen.

Apps like VeinScanner and IRVeinViewer are the best examples of these advantages. 

Computer Vision & AI in AR Healthcare

Here’s the harsh truth: AR in the healthcare industry isn’t smart enough alone. Its advantages are limited. But when AI in healthcare joins in, suddenly, the whole thing becomes intelligent.

To emphasize the statement, here’s a snippet from MobileAppDaily’s interview with Mastercard’s AI Garage SVP.

There are people in the healthcare division that use AI-based algorithms to parse a CT scan. Radiologists can simply look at the reports generated by AI agents. In fact, AI is providing aid for research in order to create new drugs. AI can create a lot of permutations and combinations. It can figure out what works and what doesn’t.

-Nitendra Rajput, Senior Vice President at Mastercard’s AI Garage

Integration of AR and AI in the healthcare industry produces smarter results. Abilities like predictive analytics enable more efficient 3D projections of objects. 

Here’s a breakdown of technologies that bring computer vision to the healthcare industry!

SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping)

The tech uses depth sensors, cameras, and IMUs (Inertial Measurement Units) to create an accurate 3D map of the scanned environment. If you have ever wondered how AR just knows where to put an object, that’s SLAM in action.

Object Recognition & Tracking

Fancy terms like AI-driven markerless tracking help AR know what it’s looking at. It doesn’t just throw digital objects randomly from your point of view; it knows what is what and creates actions accordingly.

In surgeries, the tech can detect organs, bones, and even individual blood vessels in real-time. 

Depth Sensing and 3D Reconstruction

When it comes to the quality, AR isn’t on its own. There are sensors like Time-of-Flight (ToF) sensors, structured light, and LiDAR that measure the size of organs. 

The goal of these sensors is to generate realistic and interactive 3D models of body tissues and organs. This helps surgeons explore the fully mapped version of the human body before even a single incision is made.

AI-powered Image Processing

Medical imaging is complex, and sometimes, even experts can miss minuscule details. That is where AI-powered image processing comes into the picture. AI can observe images, gather accurate data, and help medical professionals find diagnoses faster.

Converting image data into digital 3D models helps users interact, rotate, and zoom in on specific details.

Think of Google Maps, but for medical purposes. Instead of roads or buildings, you get veins and blood cells to explore.

AR Software & Algorithms

The magic of AR is fueled by smarter software where gathered data goes through the funnel of real-time processing. This data converts raw insights into actionable blueprints using cutting-edge tech.

Medical Image Processing Pipelines

Augmented reality mobile apps in the healthcare industry are powered by DICOM (Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine).

You might have heard the term if you had been slightly deeper into the medtech industry already. 

After all, DICOM has quite a lot of fans!

The tech gathers, retrieves, processes, and converts MRIs and CT scans into 3D models. As a result, for surgeons, it gets easier to tap into the reality of a patient’s health.

Cloud-Based & Edge Computing for AR

The architecture that empowers the mobility of carrying data is often powered by cloud and edge computing. This also gives even low-configuration devices the power to support large 3D models. However, the internet dependency of such devices remains significant.

Haptic Feedback and Mixed Reality

AR now simulates more than visuals.

Haptic sensors are now a rapidly growing market. Between 2024 and 2030, the demand for haptic devices is expected to rise at a CAGR of 16.4%. Reason?

Haptic is used with AR to unlock more than just interactive visuals. In the gaming industry, haptic is used to provide physical feedback to the user through vibrations. In the medical industry, its purpose is advanced. 

The tech simulates textures, resistance, and movements. For robot-assisted surgeries, this works like a charm, bringing simulations much closer to the reality of medical operations.

Gesture Recognition and Hand Tracking

Surgeons can now bid bye-bye to clunky controllers!

Depth sensors and AI-driven skeletal tracking (like Leap Motion and Azure Kinect) make AR visuals more futuristic. That eliminates the risk of any possible contamination or human errors, offering just pure touchless controls.

AR-Driven Real-Time Data Integration

The challenge of making augmented reality for healthcare doesn’t lie in making surgeries convenient; it lies in connecting AR systems to real-time data. 

Based on the analysis of the modern healthcare industry, here are some data integration tactics that are active in the industry.

HL7 & FHIR Standards for Patient Data Integration

Healthcare apps that use AR follow HL7 and FHIR (Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources) standards. This employs an EHR-powered data collection strategy that is very much dependent on healthcare devices deployed for the purpose of patient observation and care.

This ability to use EHRs (Electronic Health Records) makes real-time healthcare data access approachable. This data can include the patient’s medical history, test results, and vitals, all of which are presented on the AR screen.

IoT & Wearable Device Integration

AR can also pull live patient vitals from IoT-connected medical devices like:

• ECG monitors that can track the heart in real time.
• Blood pressure sensors that can update vitals instantly.
• Continuous glucose monitors that can provide instant sugar level readings.

5G & Low-Latency Streaming

Faster networks like 5G are now eliminating the boundaries that existed because of distances. The 5G network reduces the latency to below 10ms. As a result, AR-powered remote surgeries have become more popular.

What it means is:

A New York-based scientist doesn’t have to take the earliest flight to attend to an emergency patient in London anymore. Instead, robotic surgeries could help them work from their local hospital with an adequate infrastructure.

Surgical Navigation with AR

The AR-powered navigation system gives surgeons the superpower of X-ray vision, enhancing the overall accuracy of surgical procedures. 

To answer how, here’s a breakdown!

Preoperative 3D Planning

Before even a single cut is made, MRI/CT scans help surgeons create a realistic 3D anatomy of the patient's body. By overlaying it on the surgical field, these surgeons manage to achieve accuracy even in millimeters.

Augmented Intraoperative Guidance

AR-powered robotic surgical arms like the da Vinci Surgical System use real-time 3D overlays to perform surgeries with higher accuracy. The goal is to reduce surgical risks as much as possible. 

The overlay marks surgical spots with the utmost accuracy to ensure the elimination of unnecessary huckles and buckles.

Augmented Endoscopy & Ultrasound

Instead of the guesswork, AR-powered endoscopy marks the exact locations of tumors, blood vessels, and biopsy targets. That way, the probability of unnecessary extra incisions drops down to almost zero.

AR Applications in Healthcare

Now that AR is expanding its dominance in the healthcare industry, it’s time to look at where it is being used beyond surgeries and robotic surgeries.

Medical Training and Education

The days of burying heads deep into textbooks might soon take a backseat in the healthcare industry. 

Augmented reality is changing the whole game of medical training. Instead of just memorizing from 2D images or being too dependent on cadaver dissections, trainees can access interactive 3D models and practice through the complexity of the medical world. 

Rehabilitation & Physical Therapy

Recovery from an injury isn’t all about rest; it’s about doing the right thing, making the right move, and coming back to your healed self. With AR in healthcare, rehab transforms from traditional activities to therapies that are more data-driven.

AR in Diagnostics & Treatment Planning

We have stated earlier as well that analyzing X-rays and CT in the form of static images is something AR provides you freedom from. So, dropping a gentle reminder for the same. 

Now, put this into a picture. Imagine yourself in the shoes of a doctor responsible for a surgery that can go south due to the guesswork. In such a case, AR is the miracle that a doctor might need to zoom into specific parts of the body or organs.

AR for Patient Care

Medical jargon can be nightmarish for the folks looking for medical services. In such a case, AR turns into the solution for delivering visualization. The tech transforms patient education into something that is interactive and easy for patients to decrypt.

As an advantage, doctors can explain patients with better visual presentations of their medical diagnoses. This also helps them define the precautions patients are supposed to take and demonstrate the impact of these precautions with more accuracy.

AR in Mental Health

In the mental health industry, the benefits of augmented reality aren’t limited. The tech is used in treating phobias through exposure therapy, PTSD, and anxiety disorders as well.

All of this is done in a controlled virtual environment where experts try to utilize AR to help patients more interactively. 

Then, there are AR applications for Alzheimer’s patients, such as TherapyLens. These apps just multiply the impact of AR in the mental health industry.

AR in Critical Care

In situations where emergency response is required, AR has become a tool very handful. We have already discussed how a New York doctor can control surgical robots to operate anywhere in the world.

This applies to critical care as well. First responders can very well receive real-time instructions from senior medical specialists to ensure timely care is delivered.

Benefits of Augmented Reality in Healthcare

At this point, you must have figured out the real-world benefits of using AR in healthcare by yourself. From increasing surgical efficiency to speeding up the whole healing process, there are plenty.

But just as a reminder, let’s have a quick look at these benefits.

Enhanced Precision

Precision without guesswork is an advantage of using AR in healthcare. Reconstructing organs, blood vessels, and other parts of a patient’s anatomy in 3D enhances the probability of accurate healthcare diagnostics and treatments.

Source?

A report by the National Library of Medicine advocates that integration of AR reduces errors by 50% compared to traditional methods.

Replacing Human Cadavers

The traditional method of using cadavers wasn’t something that fit well with everybody- but given the requirements of the industry, it’s something that has been irreplaceable.

Well, that’s until now!

There are real-world examples of how augmented reality for medical training is resulting in less dependency on human cadavers. As a result, precise training is becoming more accessible, resulting in an increased production of well-trained healthcare professionals.

Case-study

The Guardian published news in 2016 that published how ‘The Royal College of Surgeons’ is exploring the option of replacing traditional cadavers-based training methods with AR-powered ones.

We are rebuilding [the college] for 2020. In that new classroom environment, there will be no space for cadavers; it’ll be case-based anatomy, it’ll be teaching and learning using HoloLens and virtual reality – really disrupting 200 years worth of surgical training.

-Shafi Ahmed, council member of the Royal College of Surgeons

Even though an interruption was caused in the world by COVID-19, a report published by the National Library of Medicine in 2022 stated that the college was still experimenting with the idea and has made significant progress.

Patients in Control

AR helps patients better understand the impact of the therapy they’re signing up for. 

Medical professionals have already noticed that when AR joins the medical world, it will make it much easier to take patients through the roadmap of their healing journey. As a result, they’re able to take better precautions and trust the consultations they receive.

How do we know?

ScienceDirect has a report that helped. The report highlights the fact that AR-powered patient trials decreased anxiety by approximately 60% and helped up to 95% of patients understand how radiotherapy will help them heal.

Faster Motor Function Recovery

Adopting AR in healthcare is doing more than just surgical precision.

It helps heal patients faster, even without making an incision in their body. The treatment is known for helping patients recover more effectively, especially after cases like Strokes. AR helps them learn the balance again.

Source

Researchgate has a report that emphasizes how AR helps stroke patients improve their motor and balance functions effectively. The report highlights that AR can boost treatment effectiveness and improve traditional rehabilitation methods.

Hands-Free Workflow

Shuffling through endless charts or touchscreen devices doesn’t make things easier; luckily, augmented reality in the healthcare industry does!

Medical professionals are now exploring important details through gesture controls. As a result, no unnecessary involvement in touching papers or images.

Example

Head-mounted displays put a screen in the POV. As a result, all required documents become accessible from a single spot, controlled by simple, efficient gestures. 

Better Defense Against Cancer

AR is turning out to be a strong defense against cancer.

No more guesswork when it comes to identifying where cancer exists in the body. Now, experts can simply pinpoint each cancer cell using 3D models. As a result, even early-stage cancer is tackled.

Case Study

The D3D imaging system improves breast cancer assessment by enabling 3D visualization of microcalcifications and tumor morphology, enhancing early detection and malignancy risk evaluation.

Real-World Case Studies of AR in Healthcare

We don’t need to understand the AR applications in medicine through hypothetical scenarios anymore. 

In short, no need for guesswork- we have real case studies. 

These are some case studies displaying the perfect integration of augmented reality in medicine.

Transforming Pediatric at Golisano Children’s Hospital

Golisano Children’s Hospital (GCH) in Rochester, New York, is a hospital that serves over 85,000 children. The hospital booked an AR zoo book that could be activated using a simple QR code.

Once scanned, patients would get access to a virtual zoo delivered through images and sounds of animals on their devices. For children, it wasn’t only an entertaining experience to keep them busy and distracted but also a strategy to educate them.

Revolutionizing Medical Training at Mayo Clinic

Mayo Clinic, a hospital that originated in the 1880s, has become a perfect case study of leveraging what AR has to offer. The hospital blends AR in healthcare to train its staff better. 

Its medtech experts have developed and deployed an AR-powered simulation that imitates real-world scenarios.

This approach makes the overall learning experience more interactive and impactful. As a result, trainees join the field with enhanced surgical skills and ample practice. 

The official source also highlights the practice of deploying 3D anatomical models onto the physical body to make learning more memorable and drive better outcomes.

Assisting Parkinson's Patients with AR-Based Mobility Solutions

To understand this use case well, we have an interesting example: Stroll. It’s a startup founded by Tom Finn, who got the idea of using AR for Parkinson’s patients after his father, Nigel, had to go for a physiotherapy appointment due to vascular dementia. 

The symptoms were similar to Parkinson’s disease.

During his treatment, Nigel had to use physical color bands that helped him focus his senses. Upon witnessing its effect, Finn came up with the product and deployed it using the fairly new AR tech of the time- Magic Leap.

Soon, Jorgen Ellis and a group of scholars at the VU University in Amsterdam led by Melvyn Roerdink collaborated with Finn to build the final product. The software includes games optimized for Parkinson’s patients.

These games, Whack-a-mole and Basketball, are well known for enabling an interactive user experience that makes physiotherapy much easier to focus on.

AR Application for Wound Care Management

A report published on MDPI discusses using a prototype of HoloLens 2 for wound care management.  The app discussed in this report improves working conditions for nurses. They can easily define the characteristics of the wounds, and that too is hands-free.

As a result, better hygiene for nurses has become a reality.

The report also states a qualitative study of 14 folks who participated in the trial. The trial enhanced support for autonomy and competence among the nursing staff, leading to more accurate outcomes.

Augmented Reality in Healthcare Marketing

Medartis, a leading surgical plate manufacturer, collaborated with Takeaway Reality to develop an immersive web-based Augmented Reality (AR) experience. 

Their goal was to reach out in a more collaborative way.

Well, they managed to meet the purpose. 

Ultimately, it led to an increased involvement of medical professionals and the audience. 

But that's not everything- there's more!

The initiative allowed medical professionals to interact with 3D models of Medartis' products. It enhanced the quality of marketing outreach and educational engagement. 

Current Challenges in Adopting AR in Healthcare

Despite the rapid growth, AR in the healthcare market is still facing significant challenges. As a result, not all healthcare professionals are able to leverage it.

Here are some challenges!

• The cost of augmented reality is still high. Lack of enough talent and restricted access to resources like hardware and software are some causes. As a result, small healthcare organizations are finding it difficult to adopt AR.
• Compliances for AR in healthcare like HIPAA, WCAG, etc., are major challenges for healthcare companies with limited budgets. However, these are absolutely necessary to safeguard the medical world.
• Data security and privacy risks can be some concerns when integrating AR electronic health records (EHRs). The integration of AR tech increases communication between multiple devices. So, even if a single one faces even a slight glitch, it can be vulnerable to cyberattacks.
• AR requires strong hardware. This can be a challenge for companies with limited tech infrastructure, limiting their real-world usability.
• While AR shows promise, long-term studies on its effectiveness and impact on patient outcomes are still limited.
• Medical experts require extensive training to be an expert in using AR efficiently. As the tech is still expanding, plenty of medical studies haven’t made it a part of curriculums yet.

Wrapping Up: The Future of AR in Healthcare Looks Very Augmented

The future of AR in medicine is not limited to a specific segment. It goes beyond surgeries or, you know, patient care.

Only numbers can show the real picture of emerging trends in healthcare. So, apart from the ones that you went through above, here are some leftovers that give insight into the kind of future AR has in the healthcare field.

If you’re an AR expert, here’s a tip for you: 

“There’s so much gap to leverage, collab with medical experts and cash on these gaps.”

Now, the stats.

• AR is a critical part of Industry 4.0. Due to the accessibility of technologies like Head Mounted Displays (HMDs), the tech is expanding its cover across the healthcare industry. The hardware segment is expected to rise at a CAGR of 60.4%.
• AR, in collaboration with VR, is rising at a CAGR of 16.8%.
• Dental implantology and orthognathic surgery remain two of the most frequent examples of using AR in dentistry. 
• A report by Cognitive Market Research suggests that the global adoption of AR and VR in the dentistry market is expected to exceed $3,554.5 billion by 2030.

With AR-powered headsets, surgeons now see 3D models of organs floating in their line of sight. Medical students? They’re ditching cadavers for holographic anatomy lessons. And Parkinson’s patients? They’re using AR-guided cues to walk with more stability than ever before.

It might sound futuristic, but it’s a part of our world now.

Sure, there are roadblocks. Plenty of them, but that is why augmented reality companies are hustling hard. To make AR more accessible for the healthcare industry, eliminate hurdles, and enable a bigger world of surgeries via remote healthcare. 

Now, it’s on you to figure out what you’re going to do with all the knowledge you have just unlocked!