The virtual home visit

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Geriatric Medicine
• Health Professions Education

Background:

• Home visits offer unique learning experiences for medical students, but exposure is often limited and lacks standardization.
• Simulation-based learning is recognized to improve knowledge and confidence before clinical practice.
• There is a need for structured methods to train health professionals in home-based assessments.

Purpose of the Study:

• To implement and evaluate a virtual home visit simulation for third-year medical students focusing on falls assessment.
• To integrate this virtual simulation into multidisciplinary team (MDT) working education.
• To assess the feasibility and effectiveness of using minimal technology for this educational approach.

Main Methods:

• Third-year medical students participated in a virtual home visit simulation for a falls assessment scenario.
• Students analyzed a video of a patient's home environment to identify fall risks and necessary adaptations.
• The session was co-facilitated by a General Practitioner (GP) Educator and an Occupational Therapist (OT).

Main Results:

• Students engaged positively with the virtual home visit session and performed well in a related Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE).
• The simulation successfully integrated falls assessment with multidisciplinary team working concepts.
• Minimal technology was required, indicating a cost-effective and accessible educational tool.

Conclusions:

• Virtual home visits provide a standardized and effective simulation for training health professionals in falls assessment.
• This approach can enhance interprofessional education and prepare students for real-world clinical scenarios.
• The virtual home visit model demonstrates potential for broader application in health professions education.