Extended reality in medical education: a scoping review

BackgroundIn the future, extended reality technology will be widely used. People will be led to utilize virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) technologies in their daily lives, hobbies, numerous types of entertainment, and employment. Medical augmented reality has evolved with applications ranging from medical education to picture-guided surgery. Moreover, a bulk of research is focused on clinical applications, with the majority of research devoted to surgery or intervention, followed by rehabilitation and treatment applications. Numerous studies have also looked into the use of augmented reality in medical education and training.MethodsUsing the databases Semantic Scholar, Web of Science, Scopus, IEEE Xplore, and ScienceDirect, a scoping review was conducted in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) criteria. To find other articles, a manual search was also carried out in Google Scholar. This study presents studies carried out over the previous 14 years (from 2009 to 2023) in detail. We classify this area of study into the following categories: (1) AR and VR in surgery, which is presented in the following subsections: subsection A: MR in neurosurgery; subsection B: spine surgery; subsection C: oral and maxillofacial surgery; and subsection D: AR-enhanced human-robot interaction; (2) AR and VR in medical education presented in the following subsections; subsection A: medical training; subsection B: schools and curriculum; subsection C: XR in Biomedicine; (3) AR and VR for rehabilitation presented in the following subsections; subsection A: stroke rehabilitation during COVID-19; subsection B: cancer and VR, and (4) Millimeter-wave and MIMO systems for AR and VR.ResultsIn total, 77 publications were selected based on the inclusion criteria. Four distinct AR and/or VR applications groups could be differentiated: AR and VR in surgery (N = 21), VR and AR in Medical Education (N = 30), AR and VR for Rehabilitation (N = 15), and Millimeter-Wave and MIMO Systems for AR and VR (N = 7), where N is number of cited studies. We found that the majority of research is devoted to medical training and education, with surgical or interventional applications coming in second. The research is mostly focused on rehabilitation, therapy, and clinical applications. Moreover, the application of XR in MIMO has been the subject of numerous research.ConclusionExamples of these diverse fields of applications are displayed in this review as follows: (1) augmented reality and virtual reality in surgery; (2) augmented reality and virtual reality in medical education; (3) augmented reality and virtual reality for rehabilitation; and (4) millimeter-wave and MIMO systems for augmented reality and virtual reality.

Extended-Reality Technologies: An Overview of Emerging Applications in Medical Education and Clinical Care.

Medical oncology and medical education (ME) have both expanded exponentially over the past 50 years; thus, it is important to understand the current status of postgraduate medical oncology education and develop ways to advance this field. This study undertakes a scoping review of ME literature in medical oncology to inform future scholarship in this area. MEDLINE, Embase, ERIC, and Web of Science were searched to find peer-reviewed English language articles on postgraduate ME in medical oncology published from 2009 to 2020. Established scoping review methodologies were used in study design; articles were classified by specialty, learner training level, region of authorship, institution type, year of publication, journal type, study methodology, and research topic. Curriculum intervention, scholarship, and domain(s) of physician competency were also assessed. The results were interpreted using descriptive statistics and collated using predetermined conceptual frameworks. A total of 2,959 references were initially found across four databases. After title and abstract screening, 305 articles remained; after full-text review, 144 articles were included in final analysis. Postgraduate medical oncology education research is increasing, with the majority of articles published in North America. Quantitative studies were most common, primarily survey approaches. For physician competencies, professionalism and medical expertise comprised the large majority of article focuses, whereas very few articles addressed leadership or health advocacy. Curriculum development, professional development, and communication skills were dominant research themes while no articles discussed teacher training. Although areas such as professionalism and communication skills are well-studied, medical oncology ME research is lacking in leadership, health advocacy, and teacher training. This study provides valuable guidance for future ME research in medical oncology and establishes a benchmark to examine changes in educational scholarship over time.

Introduction: Extended reality (XR), encompassing virtual, augmented, and mixed realities, has changed medical education by providing immersive and safe environments for the training of clinical, surgical, and anatomical skills. Its integration into medical training enables realistic simulations, real-time feedback, and personalized learning experiences, positioning XR as a promising tool in the education of healthcare professionals. Objective: To highlight the use of XR in medical education as reported in the scientific literature and underscore its significance in enhancing student learning outcomes. Methods: A scoping review was conducted following the PRISMA-ScR guidelines, with systematic searches in PubMed, Scopus, Embase, and ERIC databases. Of the 728 records initially identified, 29 studies were included after the removal of duplicates and screening by title, abstract, and predefined eligibility criteria. Data extraction followed the JBI framework and considered the country of origin, type of XR technology used, research methodology, and application context. Screening and exclusion were independently and blindly performed by two reviewers, with discrepancies resolved by consensus. Results: XR has emerged as an innovative tool in medical education. Current studies highlight its application across three main areas: anatomical education, clinical skills training, and the development of surgical competencies. XR technologies provide immersive, safe, and interactive environments that facilitate active learning, procedural repetition, clinical reasoning, and three-dimensional visualization of complex anatomical structures. In addition to enhancing student motivation and self-confidence, XR supports personalized instruction and risk reduction. The literature emphasizes that, while not a replacement for traditional methods, XR constitutes a valuable and promising resource when pedagogically and strategically integrated into contemporary medical training. Conclusion: XR is utilized in medical education to promote immersive, safe, and interactive learning experiences. Its significance lies in enhancing student engagement, comprehension of complex content, and self-confidence. However, despite advances in its applications, curricular integration remains limited. It is concluded that further rigorous research is needed to evaluate the long-term effectiveness of XR and to provide evidence-based guidance for its implementation in medical education.

ObjectivesOver the last two decades, the number of scoping reviews in core medical education journals has increased by 4200%. Despite this growth, research on scoping reviews provides limited information about their nature, including how they are conducted or why medical educators undertake this knowledge synthesis type. This gap makes it difficult to know where the field stands and may hamper attempts to improve the conduct, reporting and utility of scoping reviews. Thus, this review characterises the nature of medical education scoping reviews to identify areas for improvement and highlight future research opportunities.MethodThe authors searched PubMed for scoping reviews published between 1/1999 and 4/2020 in 14 medical education journals. The authors extracted and summarised key bibliometric data, the rationales given for conducting a scoping review, the research questions and key reporting elements as described in the PRISMA‐ScR. Rationales and research questions were mapped to Arksey and O'Malley's reasons for conducting a scoping review.ResultsOne hundred and one scoping reviews were included. On average, 10.1 scoping reviews (SD = 13.1, median = 4) were published annually with the most reviews published in 2019 (n = 42). Authors described multiple reasons for undertaking scoping reviews; the most prevalent being to summarise and disseminate research findings (n = 77). In 11 reviews, the rationales for the scoping review and the research questions aligned. No review addressed all elements of the PRISMA‐ScR, with few authors publishing a protocol (n = 2) or including stakeholders (n = 20). Authors identified shortcomings of scoping reviews, including lack of critical appraisal.ConclusionsScoping reviews are increasingly conducted in medical education and published by most core journals. Scoping reviews aim to map the depth and breadth of emerging topics; as such, they have the potential to play a critical role in the practice, policy and research of medical education. However, these results suggest improvements are needed for this role to be fully realised.

Recently, the use of educational games in teach has received the attention of medical education experts. There is a belief that educational games can be used in line with the individual characteristics and diverse learning styles of students. Games in medical education are presented in different forms, including simulation, virtual environments, collaborative and social games, and virtual reality alternative games. A more detailed understanding of the impact of this new method requires more extensive studies. The current research was conducted with the aim to explain the elements affecting the implementation of gamification in medical science education with a scoping review approach. A scoping review was conducted in Irandoc, SID, and Magiran, Scopus, Science Direct, PubMed, Eric, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, Google Scholar and resources available in the library, theses, research plans between October 2012 and May 2024. Seventy-eight articles met the inclusion criteria. CASP checklists and AMSTAR was used to assess the quality of the articles. Out of a total of 44,165 primary articles, 47 articles remained in the study for the final synthesis. The effective components in gamification included: educational design, virtual awards and points, scoreboards, learner characteristics, interaction with the learning environment, information context, game mechanics and reinforcements. The strategies used in the implementation of gamification included: use challenge, imagination, curiosity, visualization, game dynamics, role-playing and aesthetic. Effective variables of gamification including: increasing students' participation, increasing learning, increasing motivation, reducing anxiety, improving academic performance, reducing professors' workload, increasing satisfaction, active participation in discussion, attractiveness of education, social skills, role playing, self-efficacy, knowledge, skill. The elements of gamification are: goals, rules, feedback, challenge, valuable results, scoreboard and medals. Today, using the existing potential of gamification in medical education curriculum as an effective approach plays a significant role in improving the teaching-learning process of students in this field.

BackgroundInvolving people with lived experience in medical education can benefit them, their caregivers, and medical students, and may particularly impact medical education about children requiring comprehensive, individualized, multidisciplinary care, including those with medical complexity or developmental disabilities. Yet, there is no summary of how children with medical complexity or developmental disabilities, or their families or caregivers have been included in medical education for medical students, residents, and fellows. To advance the effective inclusion of lived experience in medical education related to this patient population, a synthesis of existing literature is needed.ObjectiveThis scoping review aims to identify and synthesize the literature on including the lived experiences of children with medical complexity or developmental disabilities and their caregivers in medical education, where in the curricular development process they are involved, and the level of engagement of people with lived experience in the process.MethodsTo complete the scoping review, MEDLINE, Scopus, PsycINFO, ERIC, Academic Search Premier, and Google Scholar were searched for studies investigating patient and caregiver involvement in medical education related to children with medical complexity or developmental disabilities. Studies involving continuing professional development or patients who are not children with medical complexity or developmental disabilities were excluded. Data will be extracted to identify the stage of curriculum development in which lived experience is included based on Kern’s 6-step approach, and to examine the level of engagement in medical education of children with medical complexity or developmental disabilities, their families, or their caregivers. Data from the scoping review will be presented in tables, diagrams, or matrices to demonstrate how lived experience caring for children with medical complexity or children with developmental disabilities has been included in the 6 steps of curriculum development and to characterize the level of engagement of people with lived experience in this process. Descriptive analysis will be performed to identify the findings from the included sources pertaining to the research objective.ResultsDatabase searches were completed on April 19, 2024. In total, 4382 unique articles were identified and screened against the eligibility criteria in July 2024, resulting in 30 articles being included in the scoping review. Data extraction began in July 2024.ConclusionsOur results will identify areas of improvement for medical education pertaining to the care of children with medical complexity or developmental disabilities. The findings will support and contribute to the development of medical school curricula surrounding care for children with medical complexity and children with developmental disabilities that incorporate people with lived experience in crucial roles during curriculum development. These partnerships with people with lived experience will promote more patient- and family-centered physicians, leading to better care of children with medical complexity and children with developmental disabilities.International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID)DERR1-10.2196/64911

COVID-19 Effects on Medical Education: A Viral Transfer of Knowledge to Radiation Oncology

Systematic Reviews in Medical Education.

BACKGROUND Involving people with lived experience in medical education can benefit them, their caregivers, and medical students, and may particularly impact medical education about children requiring comprehensive, individualized, multidisciplinary care, including those with medical complexity or developmental disabilities. Yet, there is no summary of how children with medical complexity or developmental disabilities, or their families or caregivers have been included in medical education for medical students, residents, and fellows. To advance the effective inclusion of lived experience in medical education related to this patient population, a synthesis of existing literature is needed. OBJECTIVE This scoping review aims to identify and synthesize the literature on including the lived experiences of children with medical complexity or developmental disabilities and their caregivers in medical education, where in the curricular development process they are involved, and the level of engagement of people with lived experience in the process. METHODS To complete the scoping review, MEDLINE, Scopus, PsycINFO, ERIC, Academic Search Premier, and Google Scholar were searched for studies investigating patient and caregiver involvement in medical education related to children with medical complexity or developmental disabilities. Studies involving continuing professional development or patients who are not children with medical complexity or developmental disabilities were excluded. Data will be extracted to identify the stage of curriculum development in which lived experience is included based on Kern’s 6-step approach, and to examine the level of engagement in medical education of children with medical complexity or developmental disabilities, their families, or their caregivers. Data from the scoping review will be presented in tables, diagrams, or matrices to demonstrate how lived experience caring for children with medical complexity or children with developmental disabilities has been included in the 6 steps of curriculum development and to characterize the level of engagement of people with lived experience in this process. Descriptive analysis will be performed to identify the findings from the included sources pertaining to the research objective. RESULTS Database searches were completed on April 19, 2024. In total, 4382 unique articles were identified and screened against the eligibility criteria in July 2024, resulting in 30 articles being included in the scoping review. Data extraction began in July 2024. CONCLUSIONS Our results will identify areas of improvement for medical education pertaining to the care of children with medical complexity or developmental disabilities. The findings will support and contribute to the development of medical school curricula surrounding care for children with medical complexity and children with developmental disabilities that incorporate people with lived experience in crucial roles during curriculum development. These partnerships with people with lived experience will promote more patient- and family-centered physicians, leading to better care of children with medical complexity and children with developmental disabilities. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT DERR1-10.2196/64911

This paper is the first attempt to get a broad view of the history of modern medical history education in Japan, from the origin of medical history education in the Meiji era to its current state in medical schools. By correcting errors related to the first university lectures on medical history in Japan and historically contextualizing the challenges of medical history education and the academic community's responses, this paper aims to examine both the historical significance and practical implications. The history of medical history education in Japan is relatively long. Medical history lectures in a medical school were first planned in 1876, and contrary to popular belief, the actual lecture started in December 1882 under Imamura Ryō's charge and continues to this day. However, despite its relatively long history, the substance of medical history education in Japan is lacking in both quality and quantity. The absence of full-time professors of medical history education and related departments has led to a vicious cycle of failure in producing experts and a decline in medical education. Medical history education in Japan failed to take advantage of the fact that it began early despite the absence of tradition. The status of medical history education greatly increased in the 1930s, but the opportunity to expand its base was not utilized during the postwar reorganization of medical education and the student movement in the late 1960s. Falling into amateurism, evasion of real issues, and a lack of collective academic responses have hindered the understanding of these phenomena and problem-solving. The history of medical history education in Japan provides significant implications for the current reality of medical history education in Korea. The Korean medical history community must also confront and adapt proactively and organizationally within the evolving landscape of medical education. If the community settles for the present, Japan's past will become Korea's future.

IntroductionIn order to fulfill the enormous potential of digital health in the healthcare sector, digital health must become an integrated part of medical education. We aimed to investigate which knowledge, skills and attitudes should be included in a digital health curriculum for medical students through a scoping review and Delphi method study.MethodsWe conducted a scoping review of the literature on digital health relevant for medical education. Key topics were split into three sub-categories: knowledge (facts, concepts, and information), skills (ability to carry out tasks) and attitudes (ways of thinking or feeling). Thereafter, we used a modified Delphi method where experts rated digital health topics over two rounds based on whether topics should be included in the curriculum for medical students on a scale from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree). A predefined cut-off of ≥4 was used to identify topics that were critical to include in a digital health curriculum for medical students.ResultsThe scoping review resulted in a total of 113 included articles, with 65 relevant topics extracted and included in the questionnaire. The topics were rated by 18 experts, all of which completed both questionnaire rounds. A total of 40 (62%) topics across all three sub-categories met the predefined rating cut-off value of ≥4.ConclusionAn expert panel identified 40 important digital health topics within knowledge, skills, and attitudes for medical students to be taught. These can help guide medical educators in the development of future digital health curricula.

Background:The term ‘talent’ appears in health professions education (HPE) but is variably defined and often conflated with performance proxies. Through a scoping review, the authors sought to map how ‘talent’ and related terms are used/defined in medical education across stages and use cases.Methods:A scoping review (Arksey-O’Malley; Levac; PRISMA-ScR) with descriptive mapping and content analysis of charted items was performed. The search was conducted across OVID-Medline, PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science, focusing on studies related to talent in medical education from 1946 to May 20, 2024. The authors included not only the term talent but also broadened the review to include adjacent concepts, such as aptitude and giftedness. Two reviewers independently assessed titles, abstracts and full texts using predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria. A third reviewer resolved screening discrepancies. Relevant concepts were mapped for reporting, and a content analysis identified research gaps, trends, and patterns across global, regional and specialty contexts. The papers were tiered into two groups: Tier 1, directly mentioning the term talent; Tier 2, adjacent terms often related to talent.Findings:The authors reviewed 189 studies loosely related to talent in medical education: 47 (25%) were Tier 1 papers that directly mentioned talent, and 142 (75%) were Tier 2 (adjacent terms). The literature primarily originated from North America (41%, 77/189) and Europe (30%, 56/189) Most papers focused on identifying individuals with high potential (74%, 141/189), particularly in medical school selection, while less attention was given to themes like retention, equity and leadership.Conclusion:Although 47 papers contained the term “talent”, there was a paucity of papers that defined talent within medical education or applied a framework/theory. Interdisciplinary research may be a way to better introduce this concept to our field.

YouTube has emerged as a growing educational resource for medical learners and educators; yet, its broad implementation may lack guidance from evidence-based evaluations. This article presents a scoping review of the utility, effectiveness, and validity of YouTube video resources in medical education. Of the 113 articles identified, 31 articles met inclusion criteria that focused on use of YouTube in medical education. Only 19.4% of the articles (n = 6) reported evaluative outcomes related to the use of YouTube for instructional purposes. Recommendations are offered for improving the usefulness and quality of YouTube videos as an educational resource in medical education.

Background: Nowadays, medical education is increasingly aligned with the competency-oriented approach worldwide. Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the competency-oriented nature of medical sciences education in Iran. Methods: This study is of a qualitative-analytical-applied nature and consists of 2 phases: a synthesis research phase conducted through a scoping review and a qualitative content analysis phase carried out through focus group discussions. Results: The results, obtained by combining 11 articles and conducting qualitative content analysis through focus group discussions involving 14 professors and doctoral students in medical science education, showed a significant gap between Iran's medical science education and a competency-oriented approach. This gap is evident in 4 dimensions: teaching-learning, assessment, context-infrastructure, and planning, with a total of 13 sub-categories identified. Conclusions: The research showed that the gap between the current situation and competency-oriented medical science education is particularly pronounced in basic and theoretical courses. Therefore, those involved in this field should be given more attention to addressing this gap.