Using Virtual Patients to Support Empathy Training in Health Care Education: An Exploratory Study.

Introduction: Empathy is essential for effective patient care. Yet, research shows suboptimal empathy in patient-practitioner interactions. Intelligent virtual patient simulations may offer an effective educational tool for empathy training.

What do speech pathology students gain from virtual patient interviewing? A WHO International Classification of Functioning Disability and Health (ICF) analysis.

Background: Virtual patients have an established place in medical education but do virtual patient interviews train holistic clinicians or just diagnosticians? This study explored speech pathology students' virtual patient interviews using WHO International Classification of Functioning Disability and Health (ICF).

Methods: Eighteen speech pathology students in their final year of training participated. Students interviewed virtual patients with dysphagia (swallowing difficulties) as part of their curriculum.

A randomized controlled trial testing a virtual perspective-taking intervention to reduce race and socioeconomic status disparities in pain care.

We conducted a randomized controlled trial of an individually tailored, virtual perspective-taking intervention to reduce race and socioeconomic status (SES) disparities in providers' pain treatment decisions. Physician residents and fellows (n = 436) were recruited from across the United States for this two-part online study. Providers first completed a bias assessment task in which they made treatment decisions for virtual patients with chronic pain who varied by race (black/white) and SES (low/high).