ArticleBJS open2025
Healthcare metaverse in surgery: scoping review.
Article in BJS open, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
5 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- From expectations to experiences: a systematic review of patient and public perspectives on robotic surgery.Journal of robotic surgery · 2025Pooled it
- The Use of Metaverse in Radiology: A Systematic Review.Health science reports · 2025Review
- The application of the metaverse in surgical clinical teaching: transforming medical education through immersive approaches.Frontiers in oncology · 2025Review
- The Metaverse in Ophthalmology: Application and Perceived Benefits, Challenges, Realistic Expectations, and Future Outlook.Journal of current ophthalmologyReview
- Immersive futures in healthcare: A mapping review of review articles on the metaverse.Digital healthReview
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe metaverse is an emerging concept in surgery, with much interest in its highly immersive and interactive virtual environment. Despite the growing interest and importance in healthcare, the metaverse is still very much in its early phase of evolution and adoption in surgery, with debate on its definition and components. This scoping review provides a summary of the evidence and current understanding for the use of the metaverse in surgery.
methodsEmbase and MEDLINE were searched using scoping review methodology with a systematic search strategy, identifying any study examining the role of the metaverse in surgery without time limitation. After data extraction, a narrative synthesis was conducted to identify the components of the metaverse employed within surgery and the domains in which they were applied.
resultsOf 97 articles found through the initial search, 15 studies were eligible for inclusion. Most of the studies were expert opinion pieces (46.6%), urology was the most common specialty (33.3%), and all studies were published after 2020. Studies were widely heterogeneous in study design and outcomes varied. The surgical metaverse was used across four main domains: education (53%), training (80%), operations (67%), and surgical care (53%).
conclusionSurgery is rapidly moving towards the age of the metaverse. There is great potential; however, evidence is lacking on its effectiveness and there are risks associated with its implementation. Institutions must learn how to understand and safely adopt the metaverse into their domains of education, training, operations, and surgical care.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.