Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
BMC Infectious Diseases, cilt.26, sa.1, 2026 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus)
Background: The emergence of the Metaverse and Extended Reality (XR) technologies, including Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), and Mixed Reality (MR), has created innovative opportunities for healthcare education and training. These immersive technologies show promise in enhancing infection prevention and control, especially during infectious disease outbreaks. Objectives: This systematic review aims to evaluate the current application of XR technologies in infection control education, identifying key trends, benefits, and limitations of VR and AR-based interventions. Methods: A comprehensive literature search was conducted on January 12, 2025, for the Web of Science and PubMed databases using keywords related to hygiene, infection prevention, and XR technologies. An initial pool of 162 articles was screened, resulting in 38 studies that met inclusion criteria. These studies were descriptively analyzed to assess their contributions, focus areas, and outcomes. Results: The review indicates most studies show XR tools effectively improve practical skills, behaviors, or attitudes, while a smaller number reveal limited or no significant gains, especially in knowledge and compliance. This result shows that XR tools have the potential to improve knowledge retention, practical skills, and provide real-time feedback, outperforming traditional training methods. XR tools specifically enhanced hand hygiene, proper use of personal protective equipment, and emergency response training, areas critical during outbreaks like COVID-19. Nevertheless, widespread adoption remains limited due to the need for more long-term efficacy data and strategies for integrating XR into standard curricula. To fully realize this potential, it is essential to address existing limitations related to cost, safety, and validation, while establishing robust frameworks for curriculum integration and policy implementation. Conclusion: XR technologies play a crucial role in advancing infection control education by offering potential benefits for healthcare training and education. Future research should prioritize evaluating long-term outcomes and developing effective implementation strategies to facilitate broader adoption, maximize their educational impact and, and mitigate potential barriers. Clinical trial number: Not applicable.