Comparing student attitudes to different models of the same virtual patient

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Health Professions Education
• Simulation-Based Learning

Background:

• Virtual patients (VPs) are increasingly used in medical education to teach communication skills.
• Two primary VP designs exist: narrative and problem-solving structures.
• Understanding student attitudes towards different VP designs is crucial for effective implementation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess medical students' attitudes toward learning communication skills using virtual patients.
• To compare the acceptability of narrative versus problem-solving virtual patient designs.

Main Methods:

• Two virtual patient simulations were developed based on the same clinical case, one emphasizing a narrative model and the other a problem-solving model.
• Undergraduate medical students utilized these simulations within a communication skills curriculum.
• A computer-based survey was administered to evaluate student attitudes and perceptions.

Main Results:

• Overall, students demonstrated general acceptance of computer-based simulated patients for learning.
• Students with higher baseline communication skills reported more positive attitudes toward virtual patients.
• No significant quantitative differences in acceptability were found between the narrative and problem-solving designs, but distinct qualitative differences in student feedback were observed.

Conclusions:

• Both virtual patient simulation designs were moderately well-received by medical students.
• Qualitative analysis revealed significant differences in student attitudes and experiences between the narrative and problem-solving virtual patient formats.
• Further investigation into the qualitative aspects of different virtual patient designs is warranted for optimizing communication skills training.