Emotional support for astronauts and triage control: the holographic doctor revolution

You may not know who Dennis Gabor was. He won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1971 thanks to holography, a concept he developed in the late 1940s as a method to improve the resolving power of electron microscopes.

The RAE defines a hologram as follows: an image obtained using the technique of holography . The animals in the hologram appear to be approaching the viewer.

Holograms are already a reality in some medical centers, offering a realistic, life-size, three-dimensional image of the doctor that seeks to replicate a physical presence. For example, Crescent Regional Hospital in Texas already uses holographic technology to connect patients in remote areas with medical specialists. It does so in collaboration with the Dutch technology company Holoconnects , which first used it in airports and events in 2022. Two years later, the deployment expanded to hospitals in India, Germany, the United States, Italy, Qatar, and South Korea.

"There is a growing need for human, digital, and immersive interaction in healthcare," the company's founder and CEO, Andre Smith , tells this newspaper. He also describes the experience : "Both the patient and the doctor appear as holograms in separate rooms or even different facilities. This allows for realistic consultations without the need for travel . Another way it's used is in collaboration between doctors, as it allows for internal meetings without requiring physical presence."

Smith emphasizes that "it's not intended to do away with physical exams" and describes its applications: "Patient intake and triage, health education and counseling, follow-up visits, medication adherence and behavioral support, mental health assessment, multilingual explanations, and emotional support."

Another aspect he comments on is about astronauts : "It is highly relevant to remote and isolated environments, including long-duration space missions. Holographic avatars with artificial intelligence (AI) could support astronauts with mental health support, medical instructions and real-time problem resolution, offering a sense of human connection and guidance, even when real-time communication with Earth is delayed. This possibility is already being explored as a future application with partners specialized in extreme environments."

He also explains that they are deploying AI-powered companions who guide patients from hospital admission to the consultation phase. "They welcome patients inside the Holobox, as the holograms are called , and can appear in patients' rooms to explain procedures, creating a seamless and reassuring care experience," he insists.

For his part, Jaime Bona , a family doctor and coordinator of the Artificial Intelligence and Digital Health working group of the Spanish Society of Family and Community Medicine (semFYC), agrees that the greatest use of this technology is in the United States. "Although it is in its infancy, it is already being used in some hospitals in our country. According to the information I have, it has been used to support surgery at the Hospital de Sant Pau in Barcelona, ​​or in surgical planning at hospitals such as Gregorio Marañón , Virgen Macarena, Virgen del Rocío in Seville, or Marqués de Valdecilla ," he tells El Confidencial.

"Although less documented in Spain, holographic and mixed reality technology is widely used elsewhere for the training of medical students and healthcare professionals, and it's likely that Spanish centers will also explore these applications," he adds.

Among the benefits that holograms offer in medical applications, the doctor mentions several : "Improved access and reduced inequities, optimized medical time, improved communication and understanding, strengthened doctor-patient relationships, and potentially improved clinical outcomes."

However, the drawbacks include high cost, integration, regulation, and skepticism. "Currently, there is a lack of universal standards for the creation, transmission, and interpretation of medical holographic images, which can hinder interoperability and the comparison of results. Furthermore, there is a degree of skepticism among some professionals and experts about whether the added value of holograms in the practice truly justifies the investment, especially compared to established 2D telemedicine platforms. Resistance to change or technological fatigue among healthcare personnel can also be a barrier," he continues.

"The digital health landscape in Spain is rapidly expanding, driven by the growing adoption of new technologies such as AI, Big Data , telemedicine, robotics, 3D printing, virtual and augmented reality, and wearables . These tools promise to transform healthcare, making it more personalized, predictive, preventative, and participatory," he notes.

However, he notes that rapid technological evolution poses "significant regulatory challenges" to ensure safety, efficacy, ethics, and fairness in its application. Privacy and data protection, clinical validation, ethics and fairness , and legal liability are some of the issues that concern him.

"Spain is undergoing a process of regulatory adaptation to accommodate the enormous potential offered by new technologies in medicine. The main challenge is finding a balance between fostering innovation and ensuring maximum protection for patients, addressing the complex technical, ethical, legal, and social challenges these technologies pose. Collaboration between regulators, developers, healthcare professionals, patients, and researchers is essential to building a safe, effective, and equitable digital health ecosystem ," he concludes.