Scoping review maps virtual education and AI tools in health professions training

Virtual education and artificial intelligence tools are now woven into public health and health professions training worldwide, but a new scoping review finds the evidence behind them remains fragmented and largely descriptive, leaving open questions about how well these technologies actually work.

The review, published in BMC Medical Education, set out to map and describe the available evidence on virtual education and AI-enabled tools in public health and health professions education, with emphasis on their educational uses, reported benefits, implementation challenges, and implications for building the public health workforce.

According to the review’s abstract, the authors conducted the scoping review following Joanna Briggs Institute methodology and PRISMA-ScR reporting guidelines. They searched PubMed/Medline, Scopus, and the Virtual Health Library (BIREME) for studies published between 2015 and 2025, including studies addressing virtual education or AI-enabled technologies relevant to public health or health professions training using a Population–Concept–Context framework.

From 1,266 records identified, 34 sources met the inclusion criteria. The included evidence was geographically diverse and methodologically heterogeneous, spanning technologies such as virtual simulations, virtual campuses, and chatbots.

The findings were synthesized into three overlapping analytical domains: educational uses, reported benefits, and implementation challenges, with additional contextual evidence informing digital transformation, equity, and governance considerations.

On the benefit side, the review reports that virtual education and AI-enabled tools have been associated with flexibility, accessibility, learner engagement, and competency development. These are reported benefits drawn from the included studies rather than demonstrated comparative effects, the authors note.

Implementation challenges also featured prominently in the mapped evidence, and the review frames these alongside broader questions of equity and governance as digital transformation reshapes how health professionals are trained.

The review’s central conclusion is cautious: the evidence base remains heterogeneous and largely descriptive or context-specific, which limits conclusions about comparative effectiveness and long-term educational impact. The authors call for further prospective, comparative, and longitudinal research to establish what these technologies actually deliver for public health education.

For educators and policymakers, the review offers a map of where the field stands rather than a verdict on which approaches work best.

Subject of Research: Virtual education and artificial intelligence in public health and health professions training

Article Title: Virtual education and artificial intelligence in public health and health professions training: a scoping review

Article References: Hernández Rincón, E. H., Gómez Trujillo, L. M., García Montoya, G., & Díaz Quijano, D. M. (2026). Virtual education and artificial intelligence in public health and health professions training: a scoping review. BMC Medical Education. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-026-10592-1

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.1186/s12909-026-10592-1

Keywords: scoping review, virtual education, artificial intelligence, public health, health professions training, medical education, chatbots, virtual simulations, digital transformation, implementation challenges, PRISMA-ScR, workforce development