Abstract
Aims: • Discuss the utility of virtual worlds as an effective education tool • Provide insight into the current state of virtual worlds as a clinical simulation platform, with emphasis on broader immersive scenarios • Highlight the evidence supporting virtual worlds as a platform to increase practitioner competence and confidence • Emphasise how virtual worlds can make multidisciplinary simulation more achievable • Identify key areas for future development in the field Background: Over the past five years, there has been a significant increase in interest in the use of virtual worlds like Second Life and OpenSim as educational tools. Although virtual reality training has been part of surgical training for decades, a body of evidence is being developed within the health professions that demonstrates the effectiveness of 3D virtual environments across nursing, midwifery and the allied health professions. More specifically, the need for improved communication between the disciplines is well identified and virtual world platforms provide a cost-effective opportunity to create immersive multidisciplinary scenarios. Methods: A review of published research since 2007 was conducted, with an emphasis on virtual world simulations looking beyond a particular clinical procedure, to broader immersive scenarios. The virtual environments themselves were limited to ones that have potential for widespread application due to their relatively low setup costs and ability for sharing of data between educators. In light of the trends from the literature, key areas for future development were identified.