Using virtual worlds for role play simulation in child and adolescent psychiatry: an evaluation study

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Virtual Reality Simulation
• Clinical Skills Training

Background:

• Traditional clinical assessment training faces limitations in accessibility and student engagement.
• Role-play simulation offers a valuable experiential learning method for developing clinical skills.
• Virtual environments present a novel platform for delivering simulated clinical encounters.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate a virtual reality (VR) role-play simulation for clinical assessment training.
• To assess medical students' attitudes and perceived effectiveness of VR simulation compared to face-to-face role-play.
• To explore the potential of VR for distance learning in medical education.

Main Methods:

• Ten medical students participated in sequential teaching and research sessions in computer laboratories.
• Students utilized clinician avatars, with the instructor role-playing a suicidal adolescent avatar in a virtual world.
• Participant feedback was gathered through questionnaires and focus groups, with quantitative and qualitative data analysis.

Main Results:

• Participants reported enhanced psychiatric skills and knowledge, with reduced anxiety and increased enjoyment compared to face-to-face role-play.
• A positive correlation was observed between simulator fidelity and perceived utility.
• Concerns were raised regarding the added value over other methods and limitations in non-verbal communication.

Conclusions:

• Virtual worlds can effectively host role-play simulations for clinical assessment training.
• VR simulation is valued by students as a beneficial learning method, offering potential for overcoming geographical barriers in education.
• Further refinement is needed to address concerns about added value and non-verbal communication in VR-based training.