“Launched last fall, the Veterans Affairs Department’s Extended Reality Network is gaining steam and support among veterans and health care practitioners.”
“’VHA’s XR Network now, we have over 200 frontline staff actively involved in the network, the bring to us their resources and opportunities and we share what we’ve learned as well,’ Dr. Anne Lord Bailey, chair of the XR Network and VHA emerging tech clinical specialist, said Tuesday.”
“Speaking at Nextgov’s Emerging Tech Summit, Bailey said the network has been engaging with industry, academic and other federal agencies to promote and improve the use of extended reality. Extended reality is an umbrella term that includes virtual, augmented and mixed reality technologies, and while commonly associated with the gaming industry, the technology is increasingly being used across VA sites to improve patient care. With it, veterans wear headsets to extend, simulate and navigate virtual worlds to deal with any number of ailments or conditions, including post-traumatic stress, anxiety, depression, chronic pain and even boredom.”
“’We now know at least 75 VA sites are using XR in some form or another, and we’ve been able to actively engage with 11 program offices to really gain and sustain that leadership support which is so critical anytime you want to do innovative healthcare transformation,’ Bailey said…” Read the full article here.
Source: VA’s Extended Reality Network Expanding Across Agency – By Frank Konkel, August 17, 2021. Nextgov.
