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The Digital Revolution in medical
education: exploring the transformative
role of digital tools
La Revolución digital en la educación médica:
explorando el papel transformador de las
herramientas digitales
Valentina Loaiza Amoroso
*
Karina de Lourdes Serrano Paredes
*
Abstract
In medical education, the digital revolution denotes the shift from
traditional to digital learning methodologies, enabling flexible
learning without time and location restrictions, incorporating various
digital tools to enhance teaching and learning processes. The
objective aims to comprehensively analyze the available evidence on
the transformative role of digital tools in medical education,
including online learning platforms, virtual medical simulators,
mobile medical education applications, and augmented and virtual
reality technologies. The methodology responds to a systematic
literature review. The results provide a comprehensive view of the
impact of various digital tools in medical education, highlighting
their potential benefits in terms of improving access, quality and
effectiveness of medical learning. In conclusion, digital tools not
only improve the accessibility of medical education, but also
facilitate more efficient and engaging learning opportunities for
students. In particular, virtual and augmented reality have emerged
Medical student of the Catholic University of Cuenca,
vloaizaa51@ucacue.est.edu.ec
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5544-6283
Professor of Medicine at the Catholic University of Cuenca,
Master's Degree in Educational Processes Mediated by
Technology, kserrano@ucacue.edu.ec
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3598-7963
Article
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as promising innovations that enable the replication of authentic
clinical environments and thus support the practice of skills and the
development of clinical competence in a safe and controlled
environment.
Keywords: Digital tools, medical education, online learning
platforms, simulators, mobile apps, virtual reality, augmented reality
Resumen
En la educación médica, la revolución digital denota el cambio de
las metodologías de aprendizaje tradicionales a digitales,
posibilitando un aprendizaje flexible sin restricciones de tiempo y
ubicación, incorporando diversas herramientas digitales para
mejorar los procesos de enseñanza y aprendizaje. El objetivo
pretende analizar de manera exhaustiva la evidencia disponible sobre
el papel transformador de las herramientas digitales en la educación
médica, incluyendo las plataformas de aprendizaje en línea, los
simuladores médicos virtuales, las aplicaciones móviles de
educación médica y las tecnologías de realidad aumentada y virtual.
La metodología responde a una revisión sistemática de la literatura.
Los resultados proporcionan una visión integral del impacto de
diversas herramientas digitales en la educación médica, destacando
sus beneficios potenciales en términos de mejorar el acceso, la
calidad y la eficacia del aprendizaje médico. En conclusión, las
herramientas digitales no solo mejoran la accesibilidad de la
educación médica, sino que también facilitan oportunidades de
aprendizaje más eficientes y cautivadoras para los estudiantes. En
particular, la realidad virtual y aumentada se han convertido en
innovaciones prometedoras que permiten reproducir entornos
clínicos auténticos y, por lo tanto, apoyan la práctica de habilidades
y el desarrollo de la competencia clínica en un entorno seguro y
controlado.
Palabras clave: Herramientas digitales, educación médica,
plataformas de aprendizaje en línea, simuladores, aplicaciones
móviles, realidad virtual, realidad aumentada
Introduction
The digital revolution refers to the transformative shift from
mechanical and analog technologies to digital technologies,
leveraging mainly the Internet (Grazian, 2005; Salmela-Aro &
Motti-Stefanidi, 2022).. This revolution has affected several sectors,
such as the economy, innovation, education, health and governance,
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at an accelerating pace (Belostecinic & Jomir, 2023; Fraser, 2020;
Hoehe & Thibaut, 2020).. It has led to significant changes in
households, industry, cities, smart territories and hospitals
(Pencarelli, 2020) by integrating devices with Internet of Things
platforms (Sriram & Subrahman, 2020). (Sriram & Subrahmanian,
2020).. Despite being both a positive and negative force since 1980,
the digital revolution was especially prominent during the pandemic
of COVID-19 (Keesara et al., 2020)where digital solutions were
rapidly adopted thanks to restriction and containment measures
(Hantrais et al., 2020). (Hantrais et al., 2021; Wimmer, 2020)..
Therefore, the digital revolution signifies the shift from mechanical
to digital technologies, specifically those that rely on the Internet,
which profoundly influence the lives of young people through the
use of digital media at home and during their educational trajectory.
The digital revolution in the field of health sciences, encompasses
the fusion of digital technologies such as artificial intelligence,
virtual reality, and metaverse (Mohammed-Nasir et al., 2023;
Nesterenko, 2022; Shotarov, 2023).. These advances have resulted
in substantial improvements in healthcare delivery, including
improved access to clinical care, reduced costs, and better physician-
patient communication (Kala, 2022). In addition, the use of digital
tools such as e-health, telemedicine, and mobile health has
revolutionized medical education by introducing innovative
pedagogical approaches and preparing students for upcoming
changes in the field of medicine (Mondal & Mishra, 2022)..
Now, specifically in medical education, the digital revolution
denotes the shift from traditional learning methodologies to digital
ones (Jun Xin et al., 2021), which allows for flexible learning
without time and location constraints, benefiting student motivation
and outcomes (Yeung et al., 2022)The use of digital tools to enhance
teaching and learning processes, such as podcasts, social networks
and videoconferencing, is a key feature of these new technologies
(Minter et al., 2022). (Minter et al., 2021)(Minter et al., 2021),
cutting-edge tools such as virtual patients, augmented reality, and
interactive platforms such as Google Forms and YouTube for live
streaming (Park et al., 2021)Also, it involves a transition to the use
of 3D printing, augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), web-
based programs, and tablet and smart phone-based applications for
advanced and interactive anatomical training (Adnan & Xiao,
2023)..
From the previous paragraph, it is evident the need to understand in
depth the transforming effects of the digital tools provided by the
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digital revolution for medical education. This raises questions about
their effectiveness, the quality of the educational content offered,
student participation and academic achievement in the field of
medicine. In addition, it is necessary to analyze the obstacles and
limitations related to the incorporation and acceptance of these
technologies, and to pinpoint the areas that require further research
to improve their incorporation and use in medical education.
Therefore, the aim of this systematic review is to comprehensively
analyze the available evidence on the transformative role of digital
tools in medical education, including online learning platforms,
virtual medical simulators, mobile medical education applications,
and augmented and virtual reality technologies. As such, this
systematic review will contribute to advances in this field by
presenting a comprehensive synthesis of existing evidence,
identifying knowledge gaps, and highlighting key research areas.
Enabling educators, educational institutions and policy makers with
information on optimal strategies to leverage these digital tools,
which could ultimately result in substantial improvements in the
training of healthcare professionals and the quality of medical
services provided.
Materials and methods
The study was carried out by means of a systematic review of the
literature. The research is characterized as descriptive and cross-
sectional, and strictly adheres to compliance with the stipulations of
the protocols described in the PRISMA statement (Kitchenham,
2004, 2007; Moher et al., 2009; Pardal-Refoyo & Pardal-Peláez,
2020)..
What is the role of digital tools in transforming medical education,
including online learning platforms, virtual medical simulators,
mobile medical education apps, and augmented and virtual reality
technologies?
The exhaustive literature search was performed in SCOPUS, Web of
Science, PubMed, Scielo databases using search terms related to
digital tools and medical education. The key descriptors for the
search were: digital tools, educational technology, educational
technologies, instructional technology, instructional technologies, e-
learning platforms, augmented reality, augmented realities, mixed
reality, mixed realities, mixed realities, virtual reality, educational
virtual realities, instructional virtual realities, instructional virtual
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reality, instructional virtual reality, educational virtual reality, virtual
medical simulators, mobile medical education applications, medical
education, online medical training.
Only original full-access articles published between 2019 and 2023
will be considered for the study, there will be no language
distinction, the research area will be medicine.
All manuscripts that do not refer to the practical application of
technological tools in medical education will be excluded.
Individual search strings were used to select the documents. The
keywords were concatenated using Boolean operators AND and OR
(see Table 1). Each of the final search equations was adapted to the
parameters and commands imposed by each database (see Table 2).
Table 1. Search strings for each main term
Group
Search string
Digital tools
"digital tools" OR "educational
technology" OR "educational
technologies" OR "instructional
technology" OR "instructional
technologies" OR "e-learning
platforms" OR "augmented reality"
OR "augmented realities" OR
"mixed reality" OR "mixed
realities" OR "virtual reality" OR
"educational virtual realities" OR
"instructional virtual realities" OR
"instructional virtual reality" OR
"educational virtual reality" OR
"virtual medical simulators" OR
"mobile medical education
applications".
Medical education
"medical education" OR "online
medical training".
Source: Own elaboration.
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The search equations for each scientific database are presented in
Table 2, considering each individual search string.
Table 2. Search equation.
Search equation
TITLE-ABS-KEY("digital tools" OR
"educational technology" OR "educational
technologies" OR "instructional technology"
OR "instructional technologies" OR "e-learning
platforms" OR "augmented reality" OR
"augmented realities" OR "mixed reality" OR
"mixed realities" OR "virtual reality" OR
"educational virtual realities" OR "instructional
virtual realities" OR "instructional virtual
reality" OR "instructional virtual reality" OR
"educational virtual reality" OR "virtual
medical simulators" OR "mobile medical
education applications") AND TITLE-ABS-
KEY ("medical education" OR "online medical
training") AND PUBYEAR >2018 AND
PUBYEAR<2024 AND (LIMIT-
TO(SRCTYPE, "j")) AND (LIMIT-TO(OA ,
"all")) AND (LIMIT-TO(SUBJAREA ,
"MEDI")) AND (LIMIT-TO(DOCTYPE, "ar"))
AND (LIMIT-TO(LANGUAGE, "English")
OR LIMIT-TO(LANGUAGE , "Spanish"))
TS=("digital tools" OR "educational
technology" OR "educational technologies" OR
"instructional technology" OR "instructional
technologies" OR "e-learning platforms" OR
"augmented reality" OR "augmented realities"
OR "mixed reality" OR "mixed realities" OR
"virtual reality" OR "educational virtual
realities" OR "instructional virtual realities" OR
"instructional virtual reality" OR "educational
virtual reality" OR "virtual medical simulators"
OR "mobile medical education applications")
AND TS=("medical education" OR "online
medical training") and Open Access and 2023
OR 2022 OR 2021 OR 2020 OR 2019
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(Publication Years) and Article (Document
Types) and Education Educational Educational
Research (Research Areas)
("digital tools"[Title/Abstract] OR "educational
technology"[Title/Abstract] OR "educational
technologies"[Title/Abstract] OR "instructional
technology"[Title/Abstract] OR "instructional
technologies"[Title/Abstract] OR "e-learning
platforms"[Title/Abstract] OR "augmented
reality"[Title/Abstract] OR "augmented
realities"[Title/Abstract] OR "mixed
reality"[Title/Abstract] OR "mixed
realities"[Title/Abstract] OR "virtual
reality"[Title/Abstract] OR "educational virtual
realities"[Title/Abstract] OR "educational
virtual realities"[Title/Abstract] OR
"instructional virtual realities"[Title/Abstract]
OR "instructional virtual reality"[Title/Abstract]
OR "educational virtual reality"[Title/Abstract]
OR "virtual medical simulators"[Title/Abstract]
OR "mobile medical education
applications"[Title/Abstract]) AND ("medical
education"[Title/Abstract] OR "online medical
training"[Title/Abstract])
("digital tools" OR "educational technology"
OR "educational technologies" OR
"instructional technology" OR "instructional
technologies" OR "e-learning platforms" OR
"augmented reality" OR "augmented realities"
OR "mixed reality" OR "mixed realities" OR
"virtual reality" OR "educational virtual
realities" OR "instructional virtual realities" OR
"instructional virtual reality" OR "educational
virtual reality" OR "virtual medical simulators"
OR "mobile medical education applications")
AND ("medical education" OR "online medical
training") AND ("medical education" OR
"online medical training")
Source: Own elaboration.
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After executing the search equations in each database, a total of
10564 documents were obtained in the four scientific databases.
After applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria and eliminating
duplicates, 684 articles were preselected, and then the titles, abstract
and keywords of all the full access documents were read and 10
manuscripts were selected to form part of the study.
Results
Figure 1 below presents the flow chart that shows the selection
process of the 10 manuscripts that were part of the study.
Figure 1. Flowchart (PRISMA Method)
Source: Own elaboration
Table 3 below shows the purpose reported by the 10 articles and their
bibliographic characteristics. In addition, it is emphasized that the
thorough research delves into a varied perspective regarding the use
of digital resources in medical education. There is a mutual trend to
investigate the capabilities of virtual reality (VR) and augmented
reality (AR) to enhance medical student education and establish
clinical competency benchmarks (Lilly et al., 2019; Sultan et al.,
2019; Zackoff et al., 2021).. In addition, the integration of innovative
educational approaches, such as virtual anatomical dissection and
clinical tele-simulation, occupies a prominent place, aiming to
revolutionize the methodology of medical instruction (Almousa et
Identificación
Número de registros identificados mediante la
búsqueda en la base de datos
SCOPUS=5491 ;WoS=777 ;
PubMed=4268; Scielo= 30
Total del número de registros
(n= 10564)
Número de registros cribados
(n=684)
Número de registros excluidos por no cumplir los
criterios de Inclusión/Exclusión
(n=9880)
Idoneidad
Número de registro de texto completo
evaluados para su elegibilidad
(n=10)
Número de artículos de texto completo excluidos
después de la lectura de titulo y resumen
(n=674)
Número de estudios incluidos en la síntesis
cualitativa
(n=10)
Cribado
Inclusión
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al., 2021; Darras et al., 2020).. The transition to e-learning has also
been studied amid the outbreak of COVID-19, highlighting the
importance of addressing technological and infrastructural
impediments (O'Sullivan et al., 2021)..
Table 3. Purpose and bibliographic characteristics of the studies
that address the topic of Digital tools and medical education.
ID
Author
Title
Purpose of the study
Target
population (n)
1
Lilly et al.
(2019).
Creating a new
"reality" for
medical
education: the
Nexus Reality
Lab for virtual
reality
• Explore the
integration of virtual reality
(VR) in medical education.
• Evaluate the use and
impact of virtual reality
technology in education.
Medical
students, faculty
and staff.
2
Sultan et al.
(2019).
An
Experimental
Study On
Usefulness Of
Virtual Reality
360° In
Undergraduate
Medical
Education
• To evaluate the
utility of 360° Virtual
Reality in undergraduate
medical education.
• Compares the
impact of virtual reality
simulation with
conventional experiential
learning methods.
• Evaluate the level of
perception, MCQs score,
OSCE score, satisfaction
level and evaluation score.
Fourth-year
medical
students (492).
3
Antoniou et
al. (2020)
Biosensor real-
time affective
analytics in
virtual and
mixed reality
medical
education
serious games:
Cohort study.
• The study aims to
evaluate portable biosensors
for the detection of effects in
education.
• Evaluate real-time
affective analysis in virtual
reality and MRI medical
education resources.
• Investigate biosignal
recordings to detect
emotional state in learning
activities.
Medical
students,
postgraduates
and physicians
specializing in
neurosurgery
(11).
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4
Darras et al.
(2020)
Virtual
Dissection with
Clinical
Radiology
Cases Provides
Educational
Value to First
Year Medical
Students
• Develop a virtual
dissection curriculum for
first-year medical students.
• Evaluate the
educational value and
preferred pedagogy for
learning with new
technologies.
First-year
medical
students.
5
Zackoff et al.
(2021)
Establishing
Objective
Measures of
Clinical
Competence in
Undergraduate
Medical
Education
Through
Immersive
Virtual Reality
• Establish objective
measures for clinical
competence in
undergraduate medical
education.
• Uses immersive
virtual reality to set
proficiency standards for
medical students
Fourth year
medical
students.
6
O'Sullivan et
al. (2021)
Lessons
Learned
Transitioning
from
Traditional
Premedical and
Medical
Education to E-
learning
Platforms
during the
COVID-19
Pandemic
within the
United Arab
Emirates
• Assess the impact of
the transition to e-learning
and develop best practices.
Medical
students.
Educators and
administrators.
7
Almousa et
al. (2021)
Virtual Reality
Technology and
Remote Digital
Application for
Tele-
Simulation and
• Develop a proof-of-
concept prototype for
clinical telesimulation
training.
• Transforms
traditional medical
Physician
trainees in
developing
countries and
rural areas.
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Global Medical
Education: An
Innovative
Hybrid System
for Clinical
Training
simulation training into a
virtual experience.
Teachers and
instructors who
facilitate
clinical training
sessions.
8
Syed Abdul
et al. (2022).
Virtual reality
enhancing
medical
education and
practice: Brief
communication.
• Explore the
challenges of adopting
virtual reality technologies
for medical training.
• Improving medical
education and training
practices through virtual
reality technology.
Medical
students and
health care
providers.
9
Christopoulos
et al. (2022)
The effects of
augmented
reality-
supported
instruction in
tertiary-level
medical
education
• To foster students'
knowledge of the
components of the heart
through augmented reality.
• Quantitatively
explore change in student
performance and satisfaction
with training.
First to third
year students
(60).
10
Gan et al.
(2023)
Researching the
application of
virtual reality in
medical
education: one-
year follow-up
of a
randomized
trial
• Exploring the long-
term impact of teaching with
virtual reality simulators on
medical students.
Medical
students (108)
Source: Authors
An analysis of the papers selected for the research is presented in
Table 4 below, these provide a comprehensive view of the impact of
various digital tools on medical education, highlighting their
potential benefits in terms of improving access, quality and
effectiveness of medical learning.
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Table 4. Transformative role of digital tools in medical education.
I
D
Autho
r
Digital tool
(Application
)
Device type
Field of
education
How do they
transform
medical
education?
1
Lilly et
al.
(2019).
Virtual
reality
(Immersive
experiences)
HTC Vive
headsets are
used with MSi
towers for
games
Medical
education.
• Improves
medical
education
through the use
of virtual reality
technology.
• Improves
student
engagement and
educational
outcomes within
medical training.
• Facilitates
cooperative
partnerships and
innovative
pedagogical
approaches in
medical
education.
2
Sultan
et al.
(2019).
Virtual
reality
(Immersive
experiences)
Smartphone-
based virtual
reality
applications
for medical
education.
Special
camera for
capturing
360° virtual
reality videos
Medical
Education
(Undergrad
uate).
• Improve
medical
education
through
immersive
experiences with
virtual reality.
• Confirms the
effectiveness of
virtual reality in
undergraduate
medical
education.
3
Antoni
ou et
al.
(2020)
Virtual
Reality,
Augmented
Reality,
Mixed
Reality
(biosensors)
Portable
biosensors for
effect
detection: HR,
EDA, EEG
signals.
E4 wearable
multisensory
Medical
education.
• The use of
biosensors
makes it possible
to identify
emotional states
in medical
education
through VR/MR.
• Real-time
affect analysis
can enhance
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smart bracelet
to detect
stress.
learning
experiences in
virtual
environments.
• Incorporating
biosensors into
intelligent
tutoring systems
can reinforce
medical
instruction.
4
Darras
et al.
(2020)
Virtual
Medical
Simulators
(Virtual
Dissection
Tables)
Virtual
dissection
table with
touch screen
technology.
Manipulated
3D computed
tomography
images for
learning
anatomy and
radiology.
Medical
Education
(Radiology)
• The
implementation
of virtual
dissection
improves
medical students'
understanding of
anatomy and
radiology.
• Students
perceive virtual
dissection as a
valuable tool for
learning.
• Technology
integrates
clinical cases and
radiology
content into
preclinical
educational
environments.
• Early exposure
to radiology
improves student
engagement.
5
Zackof
f et al.
(2021)
Virtual
reality
(Simulation
and
immersive
experiences)
Virtual reality
(VR) platform
to establish
competency
standards in
medical
education.
Medical
Education
(Undergrad
uate)
• Establishes
objective criteria
for evaluating
performance in
medical
education.
• Identifies key
observable
behaviors that
correspond to
overall
performance
evaluations.
• Provides a
method for
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defining
objective
performance
metrics.
• Demonstrates
the use of
immersive
virtual reality to
establish
performance
benchmarks.
6
O'Sulli
van et
al.
(2021)
E-learning
platforms
(Not
specified)
Not specified.
Medical
education
• Sets out the
challenges
involved in the
transition to e-
learning in
medical
education.
• Highlights
technical
barriers, learner
reactions and
didactic
assessments in e-
learning.
• Emphasizes
the importance
of IT support in
the deployment
of new
educational
platforms.
7
Almou
sa et
al.
(2021)
Virtual
Reality
(Tele-
simulation)
Oculus Quest
is used as a
portable,
wireless,
stand-alone
head-mounted
device.
Medical
education.
• Develops and
contributes a
virtual reality-
based system for
clinical
telesimulation
training.
• Promotes and
improves access
to simulation
training
worldwide,
overcoming
geographical
restrictions.
• Telesimulation
provides
opportunities for
remote
education,
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training and
evaluation.
8
Syed
Abdul
et al.
(2022).
Virtual
reality
(Simulation
and
immersive
experiences)
Head-
mounted
display, sound
and
navigation
devices
Medical
education.
• Virtual reality
enhances
medical training
and education in
academic
medical
institutions.
• Virtual reality
simulations
replaced
traditional
training
techniques in the
midst of the
COVID-19
pandemic.
• He identifies
that
collaboration
between medical
facilities and
technology
sectors is critical.
• Virtual reality
offers immersive
experiences for
medical students
in a variety of
scenarios.
9
Christo
poulos
et al.
(2022)
Augmented
Reality
(Mobile
applications)
HeArt mobile
application.
Medical
Education
(Undergrad
uate)
• Recognizes
that augmented
reality (AR)
promotes
knowledge
acquisition and
retention in
medical
education.
• It states that
educational
materials must
be compatible
across all
platforms for
effective RA
integration.
• It suggests that
augmented
reality has the
potential to
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enhance
collaborative
learning
activities to
explore
concepts.
10
Gan et
al.
(2023)
Virtual
Reality
(simulation)
Virtual reality
(VR)
simulator
used for
teaching
tendon
suturing.
Medical
education
• He argues that
virtual reality
teaching
enhances
professional
development,
learning
motivation and
clinical skills.
• Scores on
physical exams,
suturing and knot
tying improved
due to virtual
reality teaching.
• The virtual
reality teaching
model promotes
an effective
learning
approach for
medical students.
Source: Authors
Discussion
The systematic review provides a comprehensive examination of the
effects of various digital tools in medical education, both in their
similarities and distinctions. Lilly et al. (2019) conducted a study
focused on incorporating virtual reality (VR) in medical education,
using HTC Vive headsets with MSi towers to gamify to optimize
medical education through immersive experiences and improve
student engagement by stressing the importance of cooperation and
innovative teaching methodologies. Conversely, Sultan et al. (2019)
explored the effectiveness of 360° virtual reality in undergraduate
medical education, employing smartphone-based virtual reality
applications. They contrast the influence of virtual reality simulation
with traditional learning approaches by assessing various factors,
such as perception levels, performance on various assessments, and
satisfaction levels.
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Darras et al. (2020) designed a virtual dissection curriculum for first-
year medical students using "virtual dissection tables" and portable
biosensors for impact detection. Their research focused on the
educational merit of virtual dissection and how students perceive this
tool as beneficial to their learning. Zackoff et al. (2021) used
immersive virtual reality to establish objective benchmarks for
clinical competence in medical students, employing wearable
multisensory smart wristbands to identify stress levels. Their main
objective was to establish a method for defining objective
performance indicators and establishing performance benchmarks in
medical education.
On the contrary, O'Sullivan et al. (2021) evaluated the effects of
transitioning to e-learning during the COVID-19 outbreak in medical
education using a virtual dissection table with touchscreen
capability. They highlight technical hurdles and the importance of
computer assistance when introducing new educational platforms.
Almousa et al. (2021) developed a virtual reality-based clinical
telesimulation system using 3D computed tomography images for
anatomical and radiological education. Their aim was to improve
access to medical simulation training and overcome geographical
limitations.
Syed Abdul et al. (2022) delved into the obstacles and advantages of
virtual reality in medical education, using a virtual reality platform
to establish competency standards. They emphasized the essential
nature of collaboration between medical institutions and technology
sectors to improve medical training and education. Christopoulos et
al. (2022) used augmented reality to improve students' understanding
of cardiac anatomy, highlighting its potential to foster collaborative
learning and knowledge retention. Finally, Gan et al. (2023) studied
the lasting effects of teaching with virtual reality simulators on
medical students, using Oculus Quest as a portable, stand-alone
device. Their research revealed remarkable improvements in
students' clinical and professional exploration skills.
From the above, it is evident that the literature reviewed offers a
comprehensive perspective on the impact of digital tools in the
transformation of medical education. Researchers such as Lilly et al.
(2019) y Sultan et al. (2019) have highlighted the potential of virtual
reality to improve educational engagement and outcomes.
Meanwhile, research by Darras et al. (2020) y Zackoff et al. (2021)
delved into the use of virtual medical simulators and virtual reality
for assessment and setting clinical competency standards. O'Sullivan
et al. (2021) y Almousa et al. (2021) addressed the shift toward e-
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learning and clinical telesimulation, distinguishing technical barriers
and the need for universal access to medical education. In addition,
research conducted by Syed Abdul et al. (2022) analyzed the benefits
of virtual reality to improve medical procedures. Christopoulos et al.
(2022) y Gan et al. (2023) explored the potential of augmented
reality and virtual reality to improve knowledge retention and
clinical skills.
Therefore, a remarkable change in medical pedagogy and practice
can be affirmed and recognized, which supports the decision to
integrate digital tools to improve training and healthcare delivery.
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