Communication Skills Assessment Using Human Avatars: Piloting a Virtual World Objective Structured Clinical...

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Virtual Reality Simulation
• Communication Skills Training

Background:

• Communication proficiency is crucial for residency training.
• Assessing resident communication skills requires effective methods.
• Virtual reality offers a novel platform for practice-based learning.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the feasibility, acceptability, and applicability of a virtual world objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) for assessing resident communication skills.
• To explore resident and faculty perceptions of a virtual simulation environment for communication training.

Main Methods:

• Developed a virtual clinical encounter using avatars and standardized patients for 4 communication tasks.
• House staff participated in simulations after an online tutorial.
• Faculty assessed performance using validated instruments, including the Affective Competency Scale (ACS).

Main Results:

• The virtual world OSCE was feasible, acceptable, and applicable, with low direct costs ($1,000).
• High correlation found between applicability and user presence (r=0.67) and co-presence (r=0.8).
• Residents noted limitations in nonverbal cues, information overload, and immediate feedback; faculty assessment showed high reliability for ACS (ICC=0.77 for average measures).

Conclusions:

• Virtual world OSCE is a viable method for communication skills assessment in residency.
• Future iterations should focus on improving nonverbal cues, information delivery, and immediate feedback.
• Virtual reality simulations hold significant potential for enhancing medical communication training.