Effectiveness of AI- and VR-based simulation with traditional teaching in healthcare education: A network meta-analysis.

AIMS: (i) To summarize the application scenarios and teaching models of AI and VR in healthcare education. (ii) To compare teaching outcomes between AI, VR, and traditional methods. (iii) To identify the relative advantages of AI and VR in different outcomes. DESIGN: A network meta-analysis. DATA SOURCES: We systematically searched ten databases, including PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, IEEE Xplore, CINAHL, Association for Computing Machinery, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, WanFang, and China Computer Federation, to identify randomized controlled trials and quasi-experimental studies. METHODS: Educational effects of various teaching methods were compared through network meta-analysis by estimating standardized mean differences (SMD) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Study quality was evaluated using the Joanna Briggs Institute Critical Appraisal Tool. RESULTS: This study included 54 studies. The network meta-analysis results showed that in nursing education, VR, compared to traditional teaching, improved students' satisfaction (SMD = 0.93, 95% CI: 0.07 to 1.80), knowledge (SMD = 0.60, 95% CI: 0.30 to 0.90), and practical skills (SMD = 1.06, 95% CI: 0.57 to 1.55), while AI only enhanced knowledge (SMD = 1.11, 95% CI: 0.60 to 1.62). There was no significant difference in the indirect comparison between AI and VR. In clinical medicine, both VR and AI improved knowledge (VR: SMD = 0.75, 95% CI: 0.32 to 1.19; AI: SMD = 0.81, 95% CI: 0.10 to 1.51) and practical skills (VR: SMD = 1.14, 95% CI: 0.65 to 1.63; AI: SMD = 0.91, 95% CI: 0.16 to 1.66) compared to traditional teaching, but no significant difference was found in the indirect comparison between AI and VR. CONCLUSIONS: Future research should focus on direct comparisons between AI and VR, assess their long-term educational effects, and design integrated teaching models that harness the strengths of both technologies to inform evidence-based improvements in instructional practice. REGISTRATION: (PROSPERO): CRD42024605827.