AI-generated Feedback in Social Robotic Virtual Patients

The overarching aim of this project is to investigate if a system for direct feedback incorporated in an AI-empowered social robotic VP platform be more effective in the training of CR and communication skills for medical students than the same AI-empowered social robotic VP platform with no feedback system?

Higher knowledge within this research field contributes to optimised usage of new technology alongside other educational resources to facilitate meaningful learning outcomes, including supervision and patient encounters. The short- and long-term aim is to improve the medical education environment to ensure better healthcare for patients living with rheumatic conditions, while being applicable to other medical disciplines as well. While it still undergoes refinements, this educational activity provides students with the opportunity to train in a safe and interactive environment.

Background:

In healthcare today, most services are provided at outpatient clinics and daycare wards, being also the case within rheumatology. However, a significant portion of undergraduate healthcare professions education (HPE) continues to take place in inpatient settings, where ensuring that hospitalised patients align with specific learning outcomes remains a challenge. The patients requiring hospital admission typically have longstanding conditions, often presenting with complex disease manifestations and complications, alongside substantial medical comorbidities. The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted additional barriers for students to engage with teachers, patients and peers. This situation, combined with previous proposals for alternative approaches toward theoretical and practical skills training in undergraduate HPE, emphasises the pressing need for innovative learning activities that facilitate meaningful interactions between students and patient cases that are represented in HPE curricula.

Virtual patients (VP) are interactive digital simulations of clinical scenarios designed for educational purposes and are represented through a variety of systems and approaches. A fundamental component of VP simulations is their interactive interface, which enables users to engage with patients in a variety of ways: gathering medical history, conducting physical examinations, and implementing investigative strategies. These comprehensive possibilities of interaction allows users to collect essential information to perform diagnostics and decide upon appropriate management plans for their VPs.