Learning Outcomes of Immersive Technologies in Health Care Student Education: Systematic Review of the Literature

Abstract

Background There is a lack of evidence in the literature regarding the learning outcomes of immersive technologies as educational tools for teaching university-level health care students. Objective The aim of this review is to assess the learning outcomes of immersive technologies compared with traditional learning modalities with regard to knowledge and the participants’ learning experience in medical, midwifery, and nursing preclinical university education. Methods A systematic review was conducted according to the Cochrane Collaboration guidelines. Randomized controlled trials comparing traditional learning methods with virtual, augmented, or mixed reality for the education of medicine, nursing, or midwifery students were evaluated. The identified studies were screened by 2 authors independently. Disagreements were discussed with a third reviewer. The quality of evidence was assessed using the Medical Education Research Study Quality Instrument (MERSQI). The review protocol was registered with PROSPERO (International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews) in April 2020. Results Of 15,627 studies, 29 (0.19%) randomized controlled trials (N=2722 students) were included and evaluated using the MERSQI tool. Knowledge gain was found to be equal when immersive technologies were compared with traditional learning modalities; however, the learning experience increased with immersive technologies. The mean MERSQI score was 12.64 (SD 1.6), the median was 12.50, and the mode was 13.50. Immersive technology was predominantly used to teach clinical skills (15/29, 52%), and virtual reality (22/29, 76%) was the most commonly used form of immersive technology. Knowledge was the primary outcome in 97% (28/29) of studies. Approximately 66% (19/29) of studies used validated instruments and scales to assess secondary learning outcomes, including satisfaction, self-efficacy, engagement, and perceptions of the learning experience. Of the 29 studies, 19 (66%) included medical students (1706/2722, 62.67%), 8 (28%) included nursing students (727/2722, 26.71%), and 2 (7%) included both medical and nursing students (289/2722, 10.62%). There were no studies involving midwifery students. The studies were based on the following disciplines: anatomy, basic clinical skills and history-taking skills, neurology, respiratory medicine, acute medicine, dermatology, communication skills, internal medicine, and emergency medicine. Conclusions Virtual, augmented, and mixed reality play an important role in the education of preclinical medical and nursing university students. When compared with traditional educational modalities, the learning gain is equal with immersive technologies. Learning outcomes such as student satisfaction, self-efficacy, and engagement all increase with the use of immersive technology, suggesting that it is an optimal tool for education.

Implementation of Virtual Reality in Health Professions Education: Scoping Review

“…However, the use of virtual reality in health professions education is gaining ground and is starting to play an important role in competence development. Immersive technologies can provide learning gains similar to those provided by traditional educational modalities [ 10 ]. They can increase attention and enhance skills and confidence and seem to influence users’ emotional responses to learning situations, which in turn increases learning motivation [ 11 ].…”

“…They can increase attention and enhance skills and confidence and seem to influence users’ emotional responses to learning situations, which in turn increases learning motivation [ 11 ]. Furthermore, other outcomes, such as student satisfaction, self-efficacy, and engagement, may increase when using such technology, suggesting that it is a viable tool in health professions education [ 10 ]. A systematic review from 2021 examined the use of virtual reality to train nursing students and found it to be a feasible teaching strategy to improve knowledge acquisition when used to supplement, but not replace, conventional teaching methods [ 8 ].…”

Current Situation and Demand for Continuing Medical Education (CME) for Obstetricians and Gynecologists

“…18 Studies have found that the risk of HPV infection in humans is very high, and the incidence of cervical HPV infection is more than 80% in sexually active people. 7 In 2018, 106430 new cases of cervical cancer and 47739 deaths were reported in China, accounting for 18.2% and 17.3% of the global incidence and mortality of cervical cancer. 8 According to the 2020 Annual Work Report of National Cancer Center issued by the China National Cancer Center, cervical cancer is the sixth most common tumor with a high incidence in female cancer in China, and its mortality rate is the eighth in female malignant tumor.…”

“…6 During the last decade, stakeholders have brought significant changes in the theoretical basis and teaching approaches of CME, which have modified clinical practices. 7 The physicians learn a lot from the interactive sessions and educational events conducted for CME. 3 Healthcare practitioners in knowledge-intensive industries need lifelong learning.…”

The future of health in the metaverse

“…The use of virtual reality and other immersive technologies for patient care can be systematized as follows: (3,4,5,6,7,8,9) • The use of virtual reality to provide pain management and distraction during medical procedures, such as chemotherapy or wound care.…”