Defining the Future Language of Medicine

Cedars-Sinai physicians in the Department of Medicine have created a taxonomy—a classification system including comprehensive, standardized terminology—for the rapidly evolving field of medical extended reality (MXR). The taxonomy was published in the inaugural issue of the Journal of Medical Extended Reality, the official journal of the American Medical Extended Reality Association (AMXRA) and the world’s first peer-reviewed publication focused on extended reality.

MXR represents the intersection of healthcare and immersive technology, including virtual, augmented and mixed reality applications across a wide range of medical specialties, designed to extend or enhance the medical experience.

As technology has advanced in the past 30 years, research in this field has broadened considerably with some applications gaining recognition from regulatory bodies such as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and others becoming standard healthcare practice.

“Even with more than 20,000 MXR studies published to date, the field lacked a universal language—a way to classify and communicate the diverse research and breakthroughs happening around the globe,” said Brennan Spiegel, MD, MSHS, professor of Medicine, director of Health Services Research at Cedars-Sinai and first and corresponding author of the study. “Our study addresses this crucial gap by introducing a detailed framework that categorizes the vast array of research and applications within MXR.”

Spiegel, editor-in-chief of the journal, said the taxonomy’s purpose is to categorize existing work and provide a framework for future research, development and discussion.

The initial taxonomy outlines five core domains, encompassing 13 primary topics and 180 secondary topics. These guidelines offer a tool for researchers, practitioners, funders, industry, and other groups to systematically classify and navigate the complexities of the field. Due to the constantly evolving nature of MXR, the taxonomy is a “living document,” Spiegel said, requiring future modifications and expansions in response to new developments and insights.

Experts were selected to participate in the development of the taxonomy based on their track record for MXR-related publications and contributions to the field as well as their international and multidisciplinary perspectives. Additionally, Spiegel shared a draft taxonomy on X (formerly Twitter) to solicit feedback from the general community with a goal to ensure a thorough and inclusive approach.  

“The field of MXR is now a legitimate, stand-alone field of medicine that requires a comprehensive, standardized framework and common language to support its continued growth,” said Paul W. Noble, MD, chair of the Department of Medicine at Cedars-Sinai. “The work Dr. Spiegel and his expert collaborators have put into defining this dynamic field is astounding.”

Another Cedars-Sinai author involved in the study is Omer Liran, MD, MHDS. Additional authors include Albert Rizzo, PhD; Susan Persky, PhD; Brenda Wiederhold, PhD, MBA; Susan Woods, MD, MPH; Kate Donovan, PhD; Korak Sarkar, MD, MHDS; Henry Xiang, MD, MPH, PhD, MBA; Sun Joo (Grace) Ahn, PHD; Rohan Jotwani, MD, MBA; Min Lang, MD, MSc; Margot Paul, PsyD; Mike Senter-Zapata, MD; Keith Widmeier, BA, NRP; and Mark Zhang, DO.

Conflicts of Interest: Spiegel and Liran are co-founders of VRx Health.

Funding: No funding was received for this article.

Read more from Cedars-Sinai Discoveries Magazine: Virtual Reality and the Brain-Body Connection