Immersive Medicine: The Transformative Potential of Immersive Technologies in Edmonton’s Healthcare System

Extended reality (XR), including virtual and augmented reality and related tools, has shown significant promise across multiple sectors, including healthcare. In Edmonton’s healthcare system, XR can improve clinical training, patient care, and workforce development by offering benefits across a wide range of clinical applications. As XR technology is increasingly recognized for its potential to drive transformative change, recent developments in immersive technologies and patient-centred co-design are ushering in a new era of possibilities, reshaping healthcare education, training, and patient care.

Prepared by the Information and Communications Technology Council (ICTC) for ELIXR Simulations, this report identifies proven local opportunities, adoption barriers, and a roadmap to scale XR from scattered pilots to implementation.

Key Takeaways

• Extended reality (XR) is already adding value, and Edmonton has clear near-term use cases 
  Participants described real impact from empathy and bias training, digital-twin walkthroughs, interprofessional planning, and repeatable skills practice. They saw strong opportunities in discharge-planning rehearsals, on-demand “XR skills studios,” and patient journey simulations to improve communication and care. 
• Cost and “pilotitis” are stalling scale 
  Funding concentrates on pilots rather than operations (hosting, licensing, device refresh, facilitation, IT fleet management). Without sustained budgets and clear adoption plans, ROI is undermined and promising trials fail to become routine practice. 
• Leadership, evidence expectations, and culture are make-or-break 
  Progress hinges on at least one executive champion. Many decision-makers lack digital fluency and require hard practice-level evidence before committing operating dollars, while risk-averse, status-quo mindsets and “gimmick/game tech” perceptions slow approvals and uptake. 
• Fragmentation and unclear pathways block reuse 
  Parallel pilots use different hardware, content, workflows, and evaluation methods, duplicating effort. Participants called for a shared XR hub (pooled devices, hosting, vetted scenario repository, standard evidence/reporting) and clear routes from pilot procurement operations, plus XR-specific procurement and pre-agreed privacy/cyber/safety reviews. 
• Talent, training, and equity need a deliberate strategy  
  Participants emphasized building a local talent pipeline, upskilling clinicians, sim facilitators, and educators in XR facilitation, debriefing, and learning design; and ensuring all staff have basic XR interface fluency. They also stressed equitable access, including design for rural/remote and Indigenous settings, support for internationally educated health professionals (IEHP), and protected time and coaching so XR becomes routine practice rather than an optional add-on.