The Effects of Virtual Reality Used in Healthcare Education on The Cybersickness and Sense of Presence: A Systematic Review

Abstract

The purpose of this systematic review was to present the current state of the science related to healthcare students' outcomes associated with virtual reality effects on cybersickness and sense of presence. Results of the database searches of MEDLINE/PubMed, Scopus, ISI Web of Science, CINAHL and, Cochrane, 101 articles were identified. Seven articles were isolated for inclusion in this review. The primary search terms were “healthcare students”, “virtual reality”, “cybersickness”, and “sense of presence”. The review is registered with the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO CRD42021223947). The studies were published between 2016 to 2020 and were conducted in Israel, United States, United Kingdom, Singapore, Belgium, and Brazil. The research design was quasi-experimental in six studies and experimental design in one study. Interventions were mostly carried out with nursing, medical and dental students. Three studies used immersive virtual reality simulation with a head-mounted display, while the others used non-immersive three-dimensional visuals. According to the evidence results, students perceived a high sense of presence and a low level of cybersickness in virtual reality simulations. There is limited robust research exploring healthcare students' outcomes related to virtual reality on cybersickness and sense of presence.