Integrating Virtual Reality and Artificial intelligence Tools to Optimize Interprofessional Coordination in Clinical Care

Abstract

Background:
Interprofessional coordination breakdowns contribute substantially to adverse events in clinical care, with up to 10% of hospital patients affected and millions of associated deaths worldwide. Emerging technologies—artificial intelligence (AI) and virtual reality (VR)—offer synergistic opportunities to enhance team communication, decision making, and workflow efficiency, yet their combined impact on multidisciplinary coordination has not been systematically evaluated.
Methods:
We conducted a systematic review of PubMed‐indexed studies published from January 2010 to December 2024. Eligible studies were randomized clinical trials or prospective cohort studies assessing integrated AI–VR interventions aimed at improving interprofessional coordination among pharmacy, nursing, dental, and midwifery professionals. Two reviewers independently screened titles, abstracts, and full texts; extracted data on study design, sample size, intervention characteristics, and outcomes; and appraised risk of bias using established checklists.
Results:
Seventeen studies (10 trials, 7 cohorts) met inclusion criteria. AI–VR interventions yielded moderate to large coordination gains (effect sizes d=0.65–1.10; odds ratio 3.4 for achieving high‐level teamwork). Error rates declined by 28–55%, and task completion times improved by an average of 12%. User satisfaction consistently exceeded 4.3 on 5-point scales. Follow-up data demonstrated retention of coordination improvements at 3 months (mean 82% of initial gain) and 6 months (68%). Implementation challenges included interoperability issues (56% of sites) and cognitive load concerns (47% of participants). Economic evaluations reported a mean return on investment within nine months, driven by 21% lower training costs and 17% fewer coordination-related adverse events.
Conclusions:
Integrated AI–VR tools produce robust, sustained improvements in interprofessional coordination, error reduction, and cost savings across diverse clinical settings. Future research should standardize outcome measures, extend follow-up to patient-level endpoints, and explore equity and feasibility in low-resource environments.