gms | German Medical Science

Background: Lectures are traditionally used for teaching declarative knowledge. One established tool for clinical education is the demonstration of a real patient. The use of real patients in the daily clinical environment is increasingly difficult. The use of a Virtual patient simulator (VPS) can potentially circumvent these problems. Unlimited availability and the opportunity of an electronic feedback system could possibly enrich traditional lecture by enabling more interactivity which meets the expectations of the current student generation. As students face the consequences of their own decisions they become a more active part of the lecture. VPS links declarative knowledge with visual perception which is known to influence students’ motivation. Up to now, there are no reports about usage and validation of interactive VPS for supporting traditional lectures.

In this study we (1) describe the development of a custom made 3D virtual patient simulator for supporting the traditional lecture and (2) perform a feasibility study including a first evaluation of this novel educational concept.

Materials and methods: Conceptualization included definition of curricular content, technical realization and validation. A custom made simulator was validated with 68 students. Students’ opinion about acceptance was evaluated. Furthermore, impact on knowledge gain was determined by testing pre- and post- lecture performance.

Results: A custom made simulator prototype that displays a 3D virtual clinic environment was developed and linked to a PowerPoint presentation. Students were able to connect to the simulator via electronic devices (smartphones, pads) and to control the simulator via majority vote. The simulator was used in totally 6 lectures and validated in two lectures with 68 students each. Students’ opinion about acceptance, effectivity and applicability was determined. Students showed a high motivation when using the simulator as most of them had fun while using it. Impact on knowledge gain was proven by comparison of chosen therapeutic workflow before and after the lecture. Students showed significant (p< 0,05) more correct answers in determination of the therapeutic workflow after the lecture ( 27 to 46 correct answers, equals 27 to 68%) .

Conclusion: We successfully developed and evaluated a custom made 3D virtual patient simulator for supporting the traditional lecture. VPS is probably an effective instrument that might replace real patients in selected lectures and prepare students for bedside teaching.