Effective communication is a core competency in healthcare, yet traditional training methods often face limitations in realism, scalability, and learner engagement. This study evaluated the perceptions of healthcare professionals regarding the use of artificial intelligence (AI)-enhanced virtual reality (VR) simulations for communication skills in urology .

total of 45 healthcare professionals participated in this study using (AI)-enhanced virtual reality (VR) haematuria role play via Bodyswaps© software .Participants completed pre and post-simulation questioners to measure perceptions of AI-VR’s potential to improve communication skills, usefulness of the simulation, agreement with AI-generated feedback, realism compared to clinical practice, and overall enjoyability. Descriptive statistics , tow-sample test and one-sample t-tests were used to analyse the data, with significance set at α = 0.05.

Participants reported a moderate belief in the potential of AI-VR to improve communication skills prior to the simulation (M = 3.844, SD = 0.9034, t(44) = 28.55, p < 0.0001). Post-simulation evaluations showed significantly increased perceptions of usefulness (M = 4.636, SD = 0.6851, t(43) = 44.89, p < 0.0001). High levels of agreement with AI feedback (M = 4.2, SD = 0.9195) and its usefulness (M = 4.5, SD = 0.6949) were also reported. Participants positively rated the realism of the simulation (M = 4.159, SD = 0.9135) and found the experience enjoyable (M = 4.465, SD = 0.8549), with all results reaching statistical significance (p < 0.0001).

The findings indicate that participants initially held moderate expectations about the potential of AI‑enhanced VR for improving communication skills. Following the simulation, these perceptions increased significantly, suggesting that direct engagement with the technology positively influenced participants’ attitudes toward its usefulness. The high levels of agreement with AI-generated feedback and its perceived utility imply that participants found the guidance both relevant and actionable. Furthermore, the positive ratings for realism and enjoyment indicate that the simulation was immersive and engaging, which are key factors in effective skills acquisition. Overall, these results suggest that AI‑enhanced VR is not only acceptable to trainees but also perceived as a valuable and motivating tool for enhancing communication skills in urology education.

The findings suggest that AI-enhanced VR simulations are a highly effective and engaging tool for communication skills training in healthcare. The strong positive responses across all measured domains support further integration of immersive AI technologies into clinical education.