A virtual patient model for students’ interprofessional learning in primary healthcare

Abstract

Interprofessional education is important for increasing the quality of patient care, but organising it in primary healthcare is still challenging. The aim of this study was to develop and assess a virtual patient model for primary healthcare and to investigate students' perceptions of learning with this interprofessional virtual patient model. Methods The virtual patient case described a patient with several medical conditions who had returned home after surgery. The virtual patient included text files, short videos, and links to illustrate different health professions' roles in home care. Ten interprofessional groups with 39 students assessed the virtual patient from four different study programmes: nursing, physiotherapy, medicine, and occupational therapy. The students answered a questionnaire about how they perceived the usability of the virtual patient and participated in group interviews. Qualitative content analysis was used to analyse the data from the semi-structured group interviews. Results The analysis of the interviews resulted in four main categories: The virtual patient model facilitated the learning process; It was beneficial to have students from different programmes in the group when working with the virtual patient; Working with the virtual patient helped the students to understand the roles and competencies of their own and other professions and All professions are needed in clinical work in order to help the patient. The students perceived that the mixture of text and multimedia made the virtual patient seem authentic and stimulated their group discussions, which they valued most. The students gave generally high points for usability in the questionnaire, but they also gave input for improvement of the program in their comments.

Medical Students’ Learning About Other Professions Using an Interprofessional Virtual Patient While Remotely Connected With a Study Group: Mixed Methods Study

“…This study was not interprofessional in the traditional sense, as we had students from only one profession participating in the study. Nevertheless, the VP used in this study was interprofessional in its design, and it had been previously studied by us in a setting with interprofessional student groups [ 16 ].…”

“…There have been some past studies of VPs that included students from different health care professions with the aim of exploring how VPs can contribute to IPE [ 10 , 16 , 17 ]. However, there is a knowledge gap regarding team collaboration and how students of the same profession learn about other professions using VPs.…”

Virtual and Artificial Cardiorespiratory Patients in Medicine and Biomedical Engineering

“…Taking into account applications, several groups of models simulating the CVS and/or RS work can be distinguished, e.g., those used in education, research or medical procedures support. The existence of educational models that are based on pure medical knowledge can be only mentioned here despite their complexity (e.g., [20,21]) because they are usually not based on a mathematical description of physical properties of the RS and/or CVS. In general, since these properties are nonlinear, they should be mathematically described by nonlinear equations rather than by simple numbers, such as 'airway resistance' or 'pulmonary vascular resistance' (additionally, the values of those resistances at a given moment depend on several factors and variables, such as pleural pressure, for example).…”

Computerized Simulation Education on Physiotherapy Students’ Skills and Knowledge: A Systematic Review

“…Computer technology allows students to explicitly develop metacognition, reflecting on their own learning, improving their motivation and interest in the classroom, and presenting themselves as an effective predictive tool [ 19 ]. It is noteworthy that computer simulation tools such as virtual reality, augmented reality, and web-based simulations offer a wide variety of opportunities for modeling concepts and processes [ 20 ]. These new simulation technologies bridge the gap between prior and unique knowledge of physiotherapy students, learn new clinical operations, and help them develop their scientific understanding using knowledge in a quasirealistic environment [ 21 ].…”