Resident perspectives on communication training that utilizes immersive virtual reality.

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Virtual Reality in Healthcare
• Communication Skills Training

Background:

• Teaching and assessing communication skills in outpatient settings is challenging.
• Effective communication is crucial for patient counseling, particularly regarding vaccine hesitancy.
• Novel educational methods are needed to enhance relational skills training.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate an immersive virtual reality (VR) curriculum for pediatric residents on addressing influenza vaccine hesitancy.
• To assess resident perceptions of VR training effectiveness compared to traditional methods.
• To determine the impact of VR training on clinical practice in counseling families.

Main Methods:

• A VR curriculum was designed using Kern's six-step approach.
• Postgraduate pediatric residents (n=24) participated in the immersive VR training.
• Surveys assessed immediate attitudes and 1-month follow-up impact on clinical practice.

Main Results:

• All 24 residents completed the curriculum, with 92% finding VR simulations realistic.
• 75% of residents perceived VR as effective as standardized patient encounters.
• 67% reported improved family counseling skills for vaccine hesitancy post-training.

Conclusions:

• The immersive VR curriculum was well-received by pediatric residents.
• VR was rated as effective as standardized patient encounters for communication skills training.
• Immersive VR shows promise as a valuable modality for medical communication education.