Application of the Metaverse in Medicine

Abstract

The metaverse, an innovative Internet platform that integrates virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and mixed reality (MR) technologies, has the potential to benefit diverse areas of medicine. Specifically, the use of avatars as representations of users in the metaverse is promising for enabling positive self-expression, facilitating interaction through ensuring anonymity and privacy, and for educational and therapeutic applications. The use of avatars in the metaverse is advantageous ; however, concerns regarding the dilution of human relationships and the blurring of the boundary between virtual reality and reality have been raised. The aim in this study was to provide a comprehensive overview of the possibilities and challenges of applying the metaverse in medicine as a platform in the digital society of the future.