Indonesian Medical Lecturers' and Students' Awareness, Perception, and Readiness Towards Extended Reality in Medical Education

Extended reality (XR) has become one of the most promising tools for supporting learning and practice in medicine, especially in countries with limited resources such as Indonesia. This study assessed medical lecturers' and students' awareness, perceptions, and readiness to implement XR in Indonesian medical education. A cross-sectional study of multiple medical schools across Indonesia was conducted from April to May 2021. The respondents were lecturers and students from the undergraduate and postgraduate stages of medical faculty. Respondents were asked to complete a self-constructed questionnaire with 40 questions for lecturers and 31 for students. A total of 415 respondents, comprising 246 undergraduates, 96 postgraduates, and 73 medical lecturers from 34 medical faculties and 28 provinces in Indonesia, participated in the survey. Most medical lecturers and students were aware of the XR system, with virtual reality (VR) being the most common type of XR reported (72%-76%). However, most students and lecturers had no experience utilising XR technology (58%-65%). The use of VR was the highest among all types of XR technology (29%-37%), while mixed reality (MR) was the lowest (2%-3%). Most respondents reported an interest in medical training using XR facilities (89%-97%). However, they also expressed concerns about potential adverse effects and a lack of confidence that the Indonesian medical faculty was ready for XR implementation. The results showed positive awareness and perceptions of XR in Indonesian medical education. Further studies are required to fully assess the need for the XR system across different stages of medical education.