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A Comparison of Virtual Reality and Traditional Audio-Recorded Hearing Voices Simulations: Their Impact on Empathy in
Deborah Pina-Thomas1, Jennifer H Zohn, Lynn Phillips
1About the Authors The authors are faculty at the Helen and Arthur E. Johnson Beth-El College of Nursing and Health Sciences, University of Colorado Colorado Springs (UCCS), Colorado Springs, Colorado. Deborah Pina-Thomas, PhD, RN, is an assistant professor. Jennifer H. Zohn, PhD, MA, RN-BC, LPC, NCC, is an assistant professor. Lynn Phillips, PhD, RN, is an associate clinical professor. Dr. Pina-Thomas received funding from the Committee on Research and Creative Works, UCCS Faculty Seed Grant Special. The authors are grateful to the UCCS Stimulation Center staff, Dr. Sudhanshu Semwal, Ron Jackson, Advita Bhatia, Sanam Waintrub, Dr. Bernard Ricca, and Lyda Hill Institute for Human Resilience. For more information, contact Dr. Pina-Thomas at dpinatho@uccs.edu .
Abstract:
Empathy is essential to the development of communication skills. Simulating psychosis to develop empathy for mental health patients is complex; we hypothesized that virtual reality (VR) would be effective in increasing empathy in health care students. This experimental study compared the effectiveness of a VR simulation with a traditional hearing voices simulation as measured by the Kiersma-Chen Empathy Scale-Revised. Twenty-five health care students were randomized into two groups. The results indicated that both simulated experiences increased empathy levels, supporting the study's hypothesis. A 10-minute VR simulation is an effective teaching strategy for developing empathy in health care students.
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