The use of extended reality in anesthesiology education: a scoping review

Extended reality, an umbrella term for virtual, augmented, and mixed reality, is increasingly used in health care education as it requires fewer human and logistical resources and offers reduced costs compared with high-fidelity simulations. Nevertheless, the impact of extended reality on education and training in anesthesiology is largely unknown. We aimed to explore the existing extended reality tools and applications in anesthesiology, identify current knowledge gaps, and highlight future research needs in anesthesiology education.

We conducted a scoping review of studies published from January 2010 to December 2023 that focused on extended reality training in anesthesiology and included comparative analyses with other methods. We excluded publications investigating topics unrelated to anesthesiology or not involving interaction with extended reality.

After screening 5,419 studies, we included 62 manuscripts in the final analysis. The definitions and uses of extended reality in anesthesiology education were very heterogeneous. Thirty-seven studies compared extended reality with other forms of training. Neuraxial procedures, peripheral blocks, central venous catheters, and bronchoscopy were primarily investigated. Extended reality improved technical skills, knowledge retention, confidence, and student satisfaction. Six studies reported at least one negative result related to learning, sense of realism, and usefulness.

The results of this scoping review highlight the increasing interest of extended reality in anesthesiology education. Nevertheless, many studies lack objective outcome measures and relevant comparisons with existing standards. In addition, extended reality needs to be consistently defined in anesthesiology education to derive optimal benefit and impact. Future studies should also focus on defining extended reality's learning objectives and clinical assessments of trainees' performance, which are commonly missing compared with high-fidelity simulation teaching.

Open Science Framework ( https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/PDT2F ); first submitted 28 June 2023.