Simulation training changes real-world behavior

Virtual Patient Simulations (VPS) were added to the first-year training curriculum on an opt-in basis to aid in up-scaling while providing a meaningful high-quality learning opportunity to support the development of patient centered consulting skills. Virtual Patients are interactive computer simulations of real-life clinical scenarios for the purpose of medical training, education or assessment (Ellaway, 2014). Training in a simulated environment creates a safe and private space for the trainee to gather patient information and make decisions on how to communicate (Edelbring, Dastmalchi, Hult, Lundberg & Dahlbren, 2011).

ETU’s proprietary platform enables VPS with multi-branching interactions that model patient-centered dialogues. Patient scenarios of a variety of common conditions were developed into VPS and the novice trainee interacted as the doctor. The virtual patients were designed in collaboration with general practitioners and derived from real patient histories. One patient ‘entered’ the virtual waiting room per week and was available for anytime, anywhere interaction and was device agnostic. Each interactive simulation provided the student with personalised feedback. Simulations supplemented lectures on theory (consultation models), small group work, and community placements for first-year trainees.

Simulation effectiveness was evaluated based on trainees’ class performance and their scores on the Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE), an internationally recognized assessment standard. In the OSCE, a trainee takes a medical history from a Standardized Patient, an actor trained to portray an individual with a particular disease or condition, while a certified doctor observes their behavior and evaluates their communication skills using a checklist (Setyonugroho, Kennedy & Kropmans, 2015).