A Systematic Literature Review on Virtual Reality Applications in Medical Education

Virtual Reality is increasingly used in medical education, allowing students to experience clinical scenarios safely. This immersive approach holds significant potential for improving knowledge retention, procedural competence, and decision-making skills. This study critically analyses key VR technologies and their applications in medical training, focusing on identifying scalable and context-appropriate solutions for resource-limited settings. The goal is to provide actionable insights for African researchers, educators, and policymakers on how VR can be adapted and integrated into local medical education systems. A systematised literature review was conducted, and PubMed, Google Scholar, Scopus, and Science Direct were searched for studies on VR in medical education. The search used the keywords “VR” combined with “Medical Education.” Studies unrelated to healthcare were excluded. Additionally, a custom web-mining algorithm identified VR technologies from companies, academia, and research organisations. Fifty papers and 30 VR technologies met the selection criteria. Several platforms, including Goggleminds, Immersion, Avantis, and HoloLens, were identified as having been customised for medical training. Universities have adopted these platforms to establish VR labs, enhancing medical education. Findings indicate that VR is realistic, feasible, impactful, and applicable, supporting technical and non-technical skill training. Beyond education, VR is also used in digital diagnostics, virtual therapy, surgery planning, patient care, and treatment management. VR is an emerging technology revolutionising medical education by enabling interactive learning and safer clinical training. It improves healthcare workers' performance and enhances patient safety. However, successful VR adoption depends on more than just technology. Policymakers must ensure equitable access to ICT infrastructure, develop supportive policies, and promote research and innovation in VR applications for healthcare.