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Innovative technologies in psychiatry education: a systematic review.
Saba Mokhtari1, Asieh Mokhtari2, Seyed Vahid Shariat3
1Psychosis Research Center, University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
BMC Medical Education
|June 3, 2026
Summary
Innovative technologies like virtual reality and gamified platforms show promise for improving psychiatry education and clinical skills. However, more research is needed to confirm long-term benefits and standardize study designs.
Area of Science:
- Medical Education
- Psychiatry
- Health Informatics
Background:
- Innovative technologies are transforming healthcare education, but their application in psychiatry training lags behind other medical fields.
- There's a growing need for interactive, digital learning methods to engage modern medical trainees in psychiatry.
- This review systematically evaluates the effectiveness of emerging technologies in psychiatric education.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the impact of technology-based interventions on educational outcomes in psychiatry training.
- To identify which technologies (e.g., VR, virtual patients, gamification) are most effective for enhancing psychiatric knowledge and skills.
- To synthesize evidence on the short-term and long-term effectiveness of these technologies.
Main Methods:
- A systematic review following PRISMA guidelines, searching major databases (PubMed, Scopus, etc.) up to May 2025.
- Inclusion of randomized and non-randomized trials involving medical students, residents, or physicians using VR, virtual patients, serious games, high-fidelity simulation, or mobile apps.
- Quantitative educational outcomes (knowledge, skills, diagnostic accuracy, confidence) were analyzed, with risk of bias assessment.
Main Results:
- Nine studies met inclusion criteria, utilizing virtual patients, high-fidelity simulations, VR, and gamified mobile learning.
- Most interventions showed positive short-term gains in knowledge, diagnostic accuracy, skills, confidence, and empathy.
- Virtual reality improved empathy and reduced stigma; high-fidelity simulation enhanced procedural skills (e.g., ECT).
Conclusions:
- Innovative technologies offer significant potential to enhance engagement, clinical reasoning, and skill acquisition in psychiatry.
- Virtual patients, VR, and gamified apps show promise for diagnostic training, attitude modification, and knowledge reinforcement.
- Further large-scale, well-controlled trials are needed to confirm long-term effectiveness and cost-efficiency for broader curriculum integration.
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