Family Medicine Education with Virtual Patients: a Qualitative Study

Abstract

Objectives:Virtual patients (VP) have been present within the medical education process for some time. Although they are assumed to be of great benefit for student learning, very little is know about student perception and outcomes of learning, especially during the pre-clerkship years. Therefore we have decided to investigate the use of VPs during lectures, which has never been analyzed before, but could present an opportunity for more effective and holistic learning.Methods:This was a qualitative study among the 4th year undergraduate medical students at the Medical Faculty, University of Maribor, Slovenia. Students, after completing 4 virtual patient cases during the semester, were asked to participate in focus groups. Using these focus groups we asked students to provide information about their perceptions of VP cases, their learning, and suggestions for educational improvements. Data was transcribed and analyzed using the grounded theory-based coding method (open coding).Results:Medical students reported having a positive attitude towards virtual patient learning. They perceived them as helpful for filling in knowledge gaps, learning appropriate patient care and clinical reasoning. However, especially within the setting of early clinical learning, students felt the need to discuss their questions with their tutors in order to achieve better learning outcomes.Conclusion:Students on teaching courses feel the need for structured instructor sessions and the integration of VPs in the course planning in order to maximize their learning outcomes.

Medical students' attitudes towards the use of virtual patients

“…The identified four dimensions were about knowledge acquisition, management of learning, the impersonal nature of learning and other disadvantages of learning. The identified dimensions are similar to our expectations, based on the defined literature review and other available literature reviews (Edelbring et al, , ; Huwendiek et al, ; Sobocan & Klemenc‐Ketis, ). The factors presented in the available literature strengthened our case for the reliability of the VPIRS scale.…”

“…The factors presented in the available literature strengthened our case for the reliability of the VPIRS scale. Previous research on VPs, especially in a medical school environment, noted that the advantages of integrating VPs as part of course duties include a flexible work environment as well as knowledge reorganization by students and their appreciation of immediate feedback (Edelbring et al, 2011;Sobocan & Klemenc-Ketis, 2015;Sullivan, Bingman, O'Rourke, & Pugh, 2016).…”

“…This means that the interpretation of the validated scale in question has to be performed on the basis of theory in connection with evaluation of the data and current hypothesis as well as logic (Downing, 2003). In our study, items used to develop the VP rating scale were based on the gathered qualitative data for the MedU VPs (Sobocan & Klemenc-Ketis, 2015) as well as other phenomenological studies (Edelbring et al, 2012(Edelbring et al, , 2011.…”

Problem‐based learning in internal medicine: virtual patients or paper‐based problems?

“…Students used the VP repository MedU for internal medicine. In previous studies, students highly favoured the use of MedU repositories for undergraduate education . Immediately after the intervention (a 4‐week module), students took the gastroenterology knowledge exam and the Diagnostic Thinking Inventory (DTI) measurement.…”

Technology enhanced training in family medicine during Covid-19 pandemic, trainers and trainees’ view

“…Some medical schools started to use videos to demonstrate procedural skills. But students' feedback revealed that using online videos alone was not enough to learn the required clinical skills and they are still in need for faculty teaching [2].…”