Touching the future: How haptic technology and AI are revolutionizing nursing simulations: A systematic scoping...

This systematic scoping review evaluates the effectiveness of haptic- and/or artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled virtual simulation in nursing education on clinical skill acquisition/performance, clinical decision-making/clinical reasoning, engagement/satisfaction, and implementation challenges/barriers.

Virtual simulation is increasingly used to address constraints in traditional clinical training. Haptic interfaces provide tactile/force feedback during simulated procedures, and AI can deliver adaptive guidance and feedback; however, evidence has been synthesized inconsistently across haptic-only, AI-only and combined approaches.

PubMed, CINAHL, Google Scholar and the Cochrane Library were searched for English-language, peer-reviewed studies published 1 January 2014-31 December 2024. We included empirical studies involving pre-licensure undergraduate/graduate nursing students using virtual simulation incorporating haptics and/or AI, and extracted outcomes mapped to the four prespecified domains. Study selection followed PRISMA. Risk of bias was appraised using established tools. Where outcomes were sufficiently comparable, random-effects meta-analysis was used; otherwise, structured narrative synthesis was undertaken.

Nineteen studies met inclusion criteria. Haptic-enabled simulations were associated with improvements in psychomotor/procedural performance and practice, while AI-enabled simulations supported decision-making and communication/clinical reasoning in complex scenarios. Learners generally reported high engagement and satisfaction. Substantial heterogeneity in interventions, comparators and outcome measures limited pooling for several outcomes, so synthesis was primarily narrative.

Haptic and/or AI-enhanced virtual simulation appears beneficial for nursing education, but conclusions are tempered by heterogeneity and variable study quality. Standardized outcome measures, transparent reporting of implementation feasibility and costs, and longer-term evaluation of retention and clinical transfer are priorities for research and practice.