Using Virtual Patients to Support Empathy Training in Health Care Education: An Exploratory Study

Empathy is essential for effective patient care. Yet, research shows suboptimal empathy in patient-practitioner interactions. Intelligent virtual patient simulations may offer an effective educational tool for empathy training. This observational study explored the quality of speech pathology of stu...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Simulation in healthcare : journal of the Society for Medical Simulation Vol. 19; no. 3; p. 151
Main Authors: Gilbert, Alan, Carnell, Stephanie, Lok, Benjamin, Miles, Anna
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: United States 01.06.2024
Subjects:
Communication
Curriculum
Empathy
Female
Humans
Male
Patient Simulation
Physician-Patient Relations
Simulation Training - organization & administration
Students, Medical - psychology
ISSN:1559-713X, 1559-713X
Online Access:Get more information
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Summary:Empathy is essential for effective patient care. Yet, research shows suboptimal empathy in patient-practitioner interactions. Intelligent virtual patient simulations may offer an effective educational tool for empathy training. This observational study explored the quality of speech pathology of students' empathy responses in virtual patient simulations. Using the 7-point Empathic Communication Coding System (ECCS), we examined 72 students' empathic communication during a 12-week virtual patient interview series as part of their standard curriculum across 4 cohorts (a total of 388 empathic responses). The ECCS data were tallied and graphically displayed. We compared year groups (cohorts from 2015 to 2018), changes over semester, and differences between virtual patients. Median ECCS scores were 4 of a maximum of 6 (interquartile range, 3) across all interviews. Most students (89%) scored between a level 2 (implicit recognition) and level 5 (confirmation) with only a few responses scoring at the lowest 2 levels of empathy (0: denial, 0.5%; 1: automatic recognition, 2%) or the highest level of empathy (6: shared feeling or experience, 9%). Students consistently acknowledged patients' feelings and often offered an action, solution, or reassurance. However, shared feelings or experiences were infrequent. Although virtual patient simulations do not replace experiential learning such as simulation, standardized patients, and clinical practicum, they offer a safe environment to practice skills. This article provides support for designing larger controlled clinical trials and provides insights for educators on how to design virtual patient empathic opportunities of varying complexity for students.
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ISSN:1559-713X
1559-713X
DOI:10.1097/SIH.0000000000000742