Digital health in the metaverse: overview of the landscape and legal considerations

Digital health in the metaverse: overview of the landscape and legal considerations
By Anonymous | June 16, 2022

Key takeaway: A brave new world for healthcare innovation, the metaverse presents sci fi-like solutions, from immersive exposure therapy to whole body digital twins. But, like all new technology, it brings its own challenges of tackling health inequities and data privacy.

[13] Example of virtual reality headsets.

As the next generation of the internet, the metaverse promises immersive, three-dimensional experiences through digital marketplaces and social interactions [1]. In the context of digital health, the metaverse changes the relationship between people and technology, with users experiencing within or alongside virtual content, rather than interacting with digital products and services. Right now, digital health is predominantly products and solutions that allow patients and providers to view, share, exchange or create digital content. Some product examples are entering patient data into electronic health records, sharing video during a telemedicine consultation or sending payment through online portals [2]. In the digital health metaverse, product offerings shift to patients attending virtual reality group therapy sessions, surgeons planning out their procedures on holograms and those with cognitive disabilities practicing learning social cues through simulated social interactions.

[14] Human anatomy and physiology.

While there are a wide range of possibilities for healthcare within the metaverse, the two most common categories of metaverse applications in digital health are immersive environments and digital twins [3].

Immersive environments

These are virtual or hybrid worlds in which providers and consumers engage with each other for educational, assistive, or therapeutic purposes. The biggest category of digital health in the metaverse, immersive environments are accessed through virtual reality (VR) or a hybrid of real-world and virtual components that come together via augmented reality (AR) technology or holograms [3]. Educational applications range from medical libraries to surgical training platforms and immersive emergency situations for clinicians to practice without worrying about real-world consequences [4][5]. In the operating room, some VR headsets help surgeons control minimally-invasive surgical robots while others help them place implants [6][7]. Therapeutic metaverse environments allow for specialized settings for different kinds of interventions, such as allowing patients to try exposure therapy virtually to address phobias [8].

Digital twins

Representations of real-world entities that exist in virtual worlds, digital twins can be manipulated to extract insights for healthcare decision making. In healthcare, digital twins can be organs, individuals, patients or populations. And although they are a form of synthetic data, because they are modeled off of real entities, these digital twins are often connected in an ongoing manner to their real-world counterparts [3]. Starting with organs and muscle groups, cardiac digital twins are being pioneered by large corporations, simulations that reflect the molecular structure and biological function of individual patients’ hearts [9]. This allows doctors to simulate how each patient’s heart would respond to different medications or surgeries. Bones and muscle groups are also on the forefront, allowing scientists to simulate how medical devices and implants may interact or degrade within the patient’s body over time [10]. Beyond organs, whole-body digital twins of individuals are being created, where patient vitals, scans, medical history and genetic tests are combined to create simulations of patient anatomy and physiology [11].

Healthcare hurdles & legal considerations

Healthcare applications in the metaverse can compound health inequities related to device ownership, digital literacy and internet accessibility [3]. And the creation of virtual entities like digital twins and avatars raise new questions in patient health data and privacy [12]. In terms of legal considerations, health care providers and professionals must consider custody of digital assets, select a platform, register IP or file trademarks, secure blockchain domains to facilitate metaverse payments, and reserve metaverse rights [2]. The decentralized nature of the metaverse poses challenges to businesses that are used to having predictable law enforcement mechanisms to protect their legal interests. In addition, specifically for healthcare, questions of how traditional state-based licensure requirements apply to metaverse providers and whether blockchain technology of health data sharing complies with state and federal data privacy and security requirements are uncertain.

The rise of the metaverse has presented healthcare with endless possibilities, allowing providers, patients and businesses to interact in a way that was considered science fiction just a few years ago. However, like all new technologies, the metaverse brings its own hurdles and legal challenges.

References

[1] https://insights.omnia-health.com/technology/dawn-metaverse-healthcare

[2] https://www.natlawreview.com/article/metaverse-legal-primer-health-care-industry

[3]https://rockhealth.com/insights/digital-health-enters-the-metaverse/?mc_cid=46fab87845&mc_eid=2d0859afdf

[4] https://www.giblib.com

[5] https://www.healthscholars.com

[6] https://www.vicarioussurgical.com

[7] https://augmedics.com

[8] https://ovrhealth.com

[9] https://www.siemens-healthineers.com/perspectives/mso-solutions-for-individual-patients.html

[10] https://www.virtonomy.io

[11] https://q.bio

[12] https://xrsi.org/publication/the-xrsi-privacy-framework

[13] https://unsplash.com/s/photos/health-tech

[14] https://www.pexels.com/search/health%20tech/