A Pilot Study Evaluating the Effectiveness of Metaverse-Based Psychiatric Diagnosis: A Comparative Study with Traditional Clinic Settings

Abstract

Over the past few decades, healthcare organizations worldwide have recognized the numerous ways information technologies might prove helpful.  Metaverse, AI, and data science are three emerging technologies that are changing the smart health industry. Metaverse is a new advancement in smart health. It represents an integration of three main technologies: artificial intelligence (AI), augmented reality (AR), and virtual reality (VR).  It opens new opportunities and options that are still being discovered. Artificial intelligence, in conjunction with machine learning and the metaverse, is revolutionizing the healthcare sector. As they enhance operational efficiency, they elevate patient care, reduce expenses, and decrease workloads for healthcare professionals. Mental health is among the different fields of healthcare that have already started to use these advanced technologies. This research is a pilot study aimed at evaluating the feasibility of using a metaverse-based environment for psychiatric diagnosis, specifically for assessing anxiety and depression. It is an initial exploration of a small sample size of four participants. This study used a within-subjects design, where each participant experienced two sessions: one in the pre-designed metaverse environment (MetaverseClinic) and the other in a traditional in-person clinic. Later participants asked to rate their experience using the STAR-P (Patient version) and the Satisfaction Scale questionnaires. They were selected to measure the therapeutic relationship, patient satisfaction, and the overall experience in both settings. The results show promising similarities in patient satisfaction and therapeutic relationships between the two settings.