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Current state and future opportunities in applying visual analytics in medical education: a scoping review
Scott Vennemeyer1,2,3, Andy Gao3,4,5, Gargi Rajput3,4,6
1Department of Medical Education, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine (UCCoM), Cincinnati, OH, USA.
Purpose:
Visual analytics is a nascent and underexplored area in the medical education literature that can assist in synthesizing large volumes of data and information to provide actionable insight. This scoping review aims to identify: 1) the characteristics of the studies that have applied visual analytics in medical education, 2) how visual analytics are being used to support medical education efforts.
Method:
This study followed the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) scoping review guidelines to search four databases in mid-April 2026: PubMed, IEEE Xplore, Scopus, ACM Digital, along with Google Scholar. Key search terms included "medical education" and "visual analytics"; papers that did not implement visual analytics systems in the medical education context were excluded. Variables of the eligible papers were extracted and further analyzed in terms of study characteristics (publication year, study location, primary focus & level of trainees assessed) and application of visual analytics (type of visualization, framework guidance, hardware/software, evaluation technique).
Results:
Of the 39 eligible papers from 584 screened, 20 (51.3%) were published in the United States. Using visual analytics for learner competency assessment and quality improvement of training programs were the primary focuses. For trainees, nearly all papers focused on assessing residents and medical students. More than 28 (71.8%) studies utilized an interactive tool/dashboard and/or applied an evaluation technique. Only 14 (35.9%) involved a framework-guided design of the visualization.
Conclusions:
This review highlights that while visual analytics is maturing in medical education, systemic application requires adopting framework-guided visualization design, expertise-matched tools, and goal-oriented evaluation. Future research should prioritize interoperable frameworks for knowledge sharing, controlled field studies assessing impacts on learner competencies, and patient outcomes, and "cross-continuum" dashboards spanning pre-medical through faculty levels. These strategies allow educators and learners to make sense of complex educational data through visual analytics dashboards, ultimately enhancing assessment and patient care quality.
