{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,6]],"date-time":"2026-05-06T14:46:36Z","timestamp":1778078796760,"version":"3.51.4"},"reference-count":45,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"4","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2023,11,2]],"date-time":"2023-11-02T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1698883200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Virtual Worlds"],"abstract":"<jats:p>The COVID-19 pandemic instigated a paradigm shift in healthcare delivery with a rapid adoption of technology-enabled models of care, particularly within the general practice primary care setting. The emergence of the Metaverse and its associated technology mediums, specifically extended reality (XR) technology, presents a promising opportunity for further industry transformation. Therefore, the objective of this study was to explore the current application and utilisation of XR technologies within the general practice primary care setting to establish a baseline for tracking its evolution and integration. A systematic review following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) was conducted and registered with the international database of prospectively registered systematic reviews as PROSPERO-CRD42022339905. Eleven articles met the inclusion criteria and were quality appraised and included for review. All databases searched, inclusive of search terms, are supplied to enhance the transparency and reproducibility of the findings. All study interventions used virtual reality technology exclusively. The application of virtual reality within the primary care setting was grouped under three domains: (1) childhood vaccinations, (2) mental health, and (3) health promotion. There is immense potential for the future application of XR technologies within the general practice primary care setting. As technology evolves, healthcare practitioners, XR technology specialists, and researchers should collaborate to harness the full potential of implementing XR mediums.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/virtualworlds2040021","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2023,11,2]],"date-time":"2023-11-02T09:28:13Z","timestamp":1698917293000},"page":"359-373","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":11,"title":["The Integration and Application of Extended Reality (XR) Technologies within the General Practice Primary Medical Care Setting: A Systematic Review"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"2","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7750-5830","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Donovan","family":"Jones","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Nursing Paramedicine and Healthcare Sciences, Faculty of Science and Health, Charles Sturt University, Port Macquaire, NSW 2444, Australia"},{"name":"School of Medicine and Public Health, College of Health Medicine and Wellbeing, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW 2308, Australia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9932-2530","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Roberto","family":"Galvez","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biomedical and Translational Sciences, Carle Illinois College of Medicine, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9425-6303","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Darrell","family":"Evans","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Medicine and Public Health, College of Health Medicine and Wellbeing, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW 2308, Australia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8750-2809","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Michael","family":"Hazelton","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Medicine and Public Health, College of Health Medicine and Wellbeing, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW 2308, Australia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6147-861X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Rachel","family":"Rossiter","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Nursing Paramedicine and Healthcare Sciences, Faculty of Science and Health, Charles Sturt University, Port Macquaire, NSW 2444, Australia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3242-4273","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Pauletta","family":"Irwin","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Nursing Paramedicine and Healthcare Sciences, Faculty of Science and Health, Charles Sturt University, Port Macquaire, NSW 2444, Australia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7238-3878","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Peter S.","family":"Micalos","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Dentistry and Medical Science, Faculty of Science and Health, Charles Sturt University, Bathurst, NSW 2795, Australia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7073-3803","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Patricia","family":"Logan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Dentistry and Medical Science, Faculty of Science and Health, Charles Sturt University, Bathurst, NSW 2795, Australia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0001-9415-9316","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Lorraine","family":"Rose","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Division of Library Services, Charles Sturt University, Port Macquarie, NSW 2444, Australia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4480-605X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Shanna","family":"Fealy","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Nursing Paramedicine and Healthcare Sciences, Faculty of Science and Health, Charles Sturt University, Port Macquaire, NSW 2444, Australia"},{"name":"School of Medicine and Public Health, College of Health Medicine and Wellbeing, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW 2308, Australia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2023,11,2]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"747","DOI":"10.1093\/fampra\/cmab115","article-title":"Ensuring the continuation of routine primary care during the COVID-19 pandemic: A review of the international literature","volume":"39","author":"Matenge","year":"2021","journal-title":"Fam. 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