The medical metaverse in China: Current applications and future prospects

The medical metaverse, with its potential for efficient care delivery, improved patient outcomes, and reduced healthcare costs, is profoundly impacting global healthcare systems. Scholars researching this topic primarily focus on exploring specific scenarios for its use. This article aims to analyze the development trajectory, potential applications, and directions for management optimization within the medical metaverse. Through a case study of China, we review the current status of use of the medical metaverse and systematically examine its future prospects and challenges. We contend that the medical metaverse offers significant value in enabling equitable distribution of healthcare resources, enhancing medical care efficiency, promoting the integration of medical education, research, and clinical practice, and assisting in public health management. To ensure sustainable development, however, the imperative task is to proactively devise technical standards and legal regulatory frameworks and to dynamically monitor the effectiveness of medical metaverse technologies, with the ultimate aim of maximizing the value of the medical metaverse.