Scoping review highlights use of immersive technologies like VR and AR in ENT education, suggesting impactful learning.
Background and Aims In recent years, the use of immersive technologies such as virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and mixed reality (MR) has notably improved medical education, especially in auditory and otolaryngology. These technologies provide interactive and realistic simulation environments that foster unique and safe learning opportunities for practicing clinical and surgical skills. This study aims to review the studies on the use and role of immersive technologies in audiology and ear, nose, and throat (ENT) education. Methods This is a scoping review. A comprehensive search for related articles published in English from 2000 to 2025 was conducted in three PubMed, IEEE, and Embase databases using the terms “virtual reality,” “augmented reality,” “mixed reality,” and “simulation” in combination with “audiology”, “otolaryngology”, or “ENT”. Out of 630 retrieved articles, 23 were included in the final analysis after removing duplicates and screening. Data were extracted and descriptively classified based on the study themes and approaches. Results The VR was the most commonly studied immersive technology (56.5%), followed by AR (34.7%). Most studies in ENT education have focused on the application of VR for simulating surgical skills. In audiology studies, only three primary areas were addressed: Auditory test simulation, anatomy education, and hearing aid fitting and selection. Conclusion Immersive technologies have great potential to enhance clinical education in the fields of audiology and ENT. Further development and use of VR and AR tools in audiology can significantly improve students’ practical learning experiences.
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Fathollahzadeh et al. (2025) studied this question.