Exploring the metaverse in the education of health students: a scoping review

Objective: to map the literature on the incorporation of the metaverse in the education of undergraduate students in the health field. Method: scoping review according to the JBI and Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) recommendations, conducted in the Web of Science, Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online (MEDLINE) via PubMed, Embase, Scopus, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health (CINAHL), Latin American and Caribbean Literature in Health Sciences (LILACS), and ProQuest. Results: 23 records published from 2020 to 2023 and developed in 10 countries were included. The metaverse stands out for allowing the simulation of hypothetical cases, making education interactive and attractive. Despite this, it faces limitations, including the possibility of depersonalizing students, concerns about data security and privacy, in addition to the high cost of implementing and maintaining its infrastructure. Conclusion: the metaverse enables the development of clinical skills that support the construction of the student's professional identity. However, it may not be equitable, as it requires resources and educators with the expertise to implement it, contributing to accentuating inequality in student education.