An orthopedic surgeon, software developers, and medical experts have teamed up to create a virtual reality headset that helps eliminate unpredictability during surgical procedures. Although this is one of many technological advancements that's being used to bridge a gap in health care, both virtual reality and video games have helped to assist not just during procedures but also in "highly irregular situations or those that would be impossible to replicate.

When you're new to a city, finding health practitioners that you trust can be difficult, and it's made even more challenging if you identify as LGBTQ and are looking for queer-competent providers. A new app launching in Philadelphia changes that thought, by acting as a "queer health care 'Yelp.'”

In several small rural towns in Texas, mental health professionals from Texas Tech are offering telemedicine counseling to make up for a lack of counselors available in local middle and high schools. The Governor's office has now asked the successful school districts to develop a training program for teachers in other Texas districts in order to scale the model.

Tracking controlled substances can be difficult for hospitals, which often results in drugs being diverted from where they are supposed to go. To tackle this problem, technology companies are stepping in by creating software that utilizes a machine-learning algorithm that "can identify risky prescription and dispensation patterns among healthcare staff."

Using artificial intelligence, social media companies can quickly identify and reach out to those at risk for self-harm. Pinterest, a San Francisco-based social media company, is employing AI to support its user’s emotional well-being. Those who search for content related to self-harm receive links to support resources thanks to the help of collaborations with groups like the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline and Vibrant Emotional Health. The effort has significantly reduced content related to self-harm on the platform.

After deducing that preeclampsia was "the number one cause of maternal hospital readmissions and maternal mortality," doctors at Penn Medical began sending new mothers home with a blood pressure cuff and then texting them for readings. Proving to be a successful intervention methodology, this practice has expanded to other hospitals in the state and may soon scale nationally.

Free, remote medical consultations are increasing healthcare access for the inhabitants of Bangladesh’s char islands. Using boats, laptops, and video conference software, local NGOs are bringing health services to char residents. One group, thesteps.org, provides residents with a telemedicine service called Teledaktra (TD), another nonprofit, Friendship, operates satellite clinics from a boat.

In rural areas, gaining access to mental health care can be difficult, but is made even more challenging for students. To combat this, a farming and manufacturing town in Indiana is piloting telehealth access in schools that offers students the opportunity to connect with therapists via video chat.