Extended Reality and the Metaverse as Communication Infrastructure in Clinical Trials

Abstract

Clinical trial operations involve many stakeholders and suffer from fragmented communication, accelerated timelines, and persistent information asymmetries with patients. This brief report proposes how extended reality (XR) and metaverse technologies could serve as a new communication layer for trials. We imagine a conceptual “dialogue space” in which clinical research associates and coordinators meet as avatars to exchange tacit know-how and protocol nuances with enhanced psychological safety-recreating the informal interactions lost during the COVID-19 era. We outline potential approaches, such as virtual patient advisory boards, expert-led education sessions delivered by avatars, and peer communities that may reduce anxiety, promote understanding, and support diversity in enrollment. We also consider potential operational and educational applications, including illustrative scenarios such as remote investigational medicinal product counting through XR headsets and exploratory preoperative VR training with patient-specific 3D models. The scenarios described are conceptual use cases rather than reports of implementation. Key challenges for any future deployment include data security and privacy, usability that allows intuitive use without special training, and legal/ethical frameworks for informed consent, data ownership, and incidental findings in virtual spaces. Developing practical guidelines and stepwise pilot projects will be essential to assess feasibility, validate utility, and surface risks prior to broader adoption.