Impact of Virtual Simulation on the Interprofessional Communication Skills of Physical Therapy Students: A Pilot Study

Impact of Virtual Simulation and Coaching on the Interpersonal Collaborative Communication Skills of Speech-Language Pathology Students: a Pilot Study

“…All three participants rated the acceptability and effectiveness of TeachLivE™ as high. This is consistent with prior literature where virtual simulation was rated as acceptable and effective to practice the delivery of bad news to patients in the fields of both medicine and physical therapy (Andrade et al, 2010;Barsuck et al, 2012;Gordon et al, 2001;Ohtake et al, 2013;Taylor et al, 2017). Participants in this study gave the highest rating (six out of six across all participants) in the areas of effectiveness, acceptability and willingness to use the strategy in future clinical preparation.…”

“…There is a need to enhance the use of SPs in ways that allow for greater availability and standardization in a safe, controlled, learner-centered environment, combined with detailed feedback and coaching from clinical instructors. Virtual simulation may be a viable way to provided standardized clinical experiences across students in SLP programs as it allows for consistent interactions, opportunities for repetitive attempts for a targeted skill, and the opportunity for immediate feedback and multiple opportunities to self-correct (Dieker, Straub, Hughes, Hynes, & Hardin, 2014;Taylor et al, 2017). Virtual simulation also minimizes or eliminates time invested in training, such as that needed for consistent performance with SPs.…”

“…In addition to training specific medical procedures, researchers have shown the specific use of virtual reality simulation and avatars was effective for medical professionals to practice delivering bad news to patients (Andrade, Bagri, Zaw, Roos, & Ruiz, 2010). Similarly, in the field of physical therapy, researchers discovered that simulated rehearsal improved the confidence physical therapy students' communication skills with patients and other caregivers (Ohtake, Lazarus, Schillo, & Rosen, 2013;Taylor et al, 2017). SLP programs in the U.S. and internationally recommended the use of virtual simulation, including virtual patients, in university clinical preparation programs (MacBean et al, 2013;Rodger et al, 2008).…”

“…The SBAR was created to help evaluate and facilitate better communication among healthcare professionals and patients. For the purposes of this study, a modified version was used, taken from a similar study involving physical therapy students (Taylor et al, 2017). The first section of the tool, "Situation," requires the participants to present themselves, their role in the discussion, and the purpose of the meeting.…”

“…As participants progressed through the sessions, they may have become more familiar with the case study, which could have possibly changed their delivery of the information. The researchers attempted to account for this maturation effect by randomly assigning the order the avatar was presented as three audiences to each participant (Taylor et al, 2017). Additionally, while the present study focused primarily on an educational setting, future research in virtual simulation could be expanded to other relevant setting for SLPs.…”