Immersive Virtual Reality in Midwifery Education: A Narrative Review of Pedagogical Disparities, Implementation Challenges, and Global Practices

Purpose: This narrative review synthesizes current empirical and qualitative evidence on the use of immersive Virtual Reality (VR) as an educational tool in midwifery education. It examines the impact of VR on learners’ experiences, procedural understanding, and engagement, while highlighting disparities between skill-focused applications and broader pedagogical goals such as reflective learning, affective development, and holistic competency acquisition. Patients and Methods: A comprehensive literature search was conducted across PubMed, Scopus, CINAHL, Web of Science, CNKI, and WanFang for studies published between January 2015 and May 2026 that investigated immersive VR applications in midwifery or related healthcare education. Eligible studies included mixed-methods research, qualitative investigations, pilot studies, and systematic literature reviews reporting outcomes related to student experiences, learning outcomes, or implementation challenges. Extracted findings were thematically synthesized to identify educational benefits, limitations, and pedagogical trends in VR adoption. Results: Emerging evidence indicates that VR supports enhanced learner engagement and provides opportunities for risk-free rehearsal of clinical tasks. A recent systematic review of immersive VR in nursing and midwifery education reported overall positive perceptions of VR, emphasizing increased productivity and learner satisfaction while noting practical barriers related to technology use and well-being concerns. In a mixed-methods study involving 41 midwifery students, immersive VR enhanced understanding of three-dimensional anatomical relationships and student engagement, although it did not significantly improve quantitative knowledge scores. A pre-post pilot study with 44 midwifery students also showed increased post-session anatomical knowledge after immersive VR training. Additional narrative reviews suggest that while midwifery-specific evidence remains limited, VR has potential for facilitating safe skill practice and deeper conceptual understanding of complex clinical topics. Conclusion: Immersive VR represents a promising adjunct to traditional midwifery education by increasing student engagement, supporting the visualization of complex anatomical and clinical concepts, and providing safe environments for skill practice. However, evidence remains preliminary regarding lasting pedagogical impact, transfer to clinical competence, and integration into competency-based curricula. Future research needs to expand robust empirical evaluations, explore the effects of VR on higher-order competencies such as ethical reasoning and reflective practice, and consider pedagogically grounded implementation strategies within diverse educational contexts.