Medical students' attitudes towards the use of virtual patients

Abstract

An increasing number of virtual patients (VPs) are being used in the classroom, which raises questions about how to implement VPs to improve students' satisfaction and enhance their learning. This study developed and validated a scale that measures acceptability and attitudes of medical students towards the use of the VP education tool in the classroom. This mixed method study first explored attitudes with 11 students in two focus groups. Later on, eight experts performed item reduction and transformation through three rounds of the Delphi‐study method, and an initial version of the scale [virtual patient integration rating scale (VPIRS)] was developed. The scale was administered among 138 medical students to determine its reliability. A total of 88 medical students responded to the final version of the VPIRS. Principal component analysis was performed in order to determine questionnaire domains. The final, validated scale contains 25 items in four domains, with a reliability of 0.864. The identified domains are as follows: (1) acquiring and maintaining knowledge, (2) facilitation of learning, (3) inauthentic learning and (4) disadvantages of learning. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time a VP rating scale has been developed. VPIRS allows for targeted engagement with students regarding learning and evaluation with VPs, thereby providing opportunities for student‐centred teaching.

Knowledge Retention From Emergency Medicine Simulation-Based Learning Curriculum for Pre-clinical Medical Students

“…Simulation-based learning (SBL) continues to increase in popularity in medical education, ranging from simulations of resuscitation scenarios for medical students on their first day, to resident physicians practicing central venous catheters, to multi-disciplinary teams practicing communication during primary and secondary assessments of trauma patients [1][2][3]. Prior studies have shown that exposure to SBL, even in undergraduate education, can increase clinical success specifically regarding technical skills such as CPR and airway management [4].…”

How do they learn: types and characteristics of medical and healthcare student engagement in a simulation-based learning environment

“…Medical and healthcare education is media- and resource-dependent in nature. It has become increasingly prevalent to integrate technology-enhanced learning (TEL) resources and promote the reform of information technology (IT)-based teaching models in higher medical and healthcare education [ 14 ]. The most representative example in the field is simulation-based medical and healthcare education, especially high-fidelity simulation, which can bridge the gap between theory and practice by immersing learners in a realistic setting [ 15 ].…”

How Do They Learn: Types and Characteristics of Medical Student Engagement in the Simulation-Based Learning Environment

“…Medical education is media-relevant and resource-dependent in nature. It has become increasingly prevalent to integrate Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL) resources and promote the reform of information technology (IT)-based teaching models in higher medical education [14]. The most representative example in the eld is simulation-based medical education, especially the high-delity simulation which can bridge the gap between theory and practice by immersing the learner in the realistic setting [15].…”