Characteristics, trends, and impact of immersive technologies in medical education: A bibliometric analysis

Introduction: in the realm of medical education, immersive technologies such as Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), and the Metaverse are provoking a profound and fast shift. These technologies are fostering the development of essential professional competencies in healthcare. Nevertheless, conducting a systematic evaluation of the scientific output in this area and its impact on the learning process of health professionals is critical. Objective: to analyze the scientific production related to these technologies in medical education, identifying research trends and their impact on the learning of health professionals. Methods: a bibliometric analysis was conducted using the Scopus database until May 2023. VOSviewer software was employed to analyze the interaction among thesauri. Results: a total of 243 documents with 4600 citations were identified. The output on immersive technologies in medical education is emerging. The United States and Canada are the main producers, and an increase in international collaboration has been observed. The topics of greatest interest to authors were “humans,” “virtual reality,” and “education.” The thematic areas identified were “primary studies designs,” “technical skills training,” “curricular proposals,” and “computer sciences.” Conclusions: there is a steady increase in the production and citations of research on immersive technologies, mostly originating from high-income countries. No clear areas of specialization have yet been identified, although studies are focused on integrating these technologies into the curriculum and on learning technical skills.