Meta-health: a national swot analysis for the development of a metaverse and virtual reality in health sciences education

• Metaverse and virtual reality integration to enhance immersive learning in health sciences. • Identification of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats in the adoption of virtual reality technologies. • Proposal of strategies to overcome technological barriers in virtual reality implementation. The integration of virtual reality (VR) and the metaverse into health sciences education (HSE) offers immersive, interactive learning environments that simulate clinical scenarios. However, their adoption faces technological, pedagogical, and ethical challenges. To assess the feasibility, opportunities, and barriers to integrating VR and the metaverse into HSE through a national, multidisciplinary project. A multicenter qualitative study was conducted with 37 professionals from nine universities. Data were collected through discussion groups and analyzed using thematic and SWOT analyses. Themes such as technological barriers, educational benefits, and ethical concerns were identified. Key strengths include interdisciplinary expertise and institutional commitment to innovation. Weaknesses involve high costs and steep learning curves. Opportunities lie in enhancing skill acquisition, global collaboration, and virtual assessments. Threats include rapid technological changes and ethical considerations. The metaverse and VR have transformative potential for HSE, but challenges such as cost, training, and ethical standards must be addressed. Strategic investment and robust ethical frameworks are essential for their successful implementation.