A17Digital patient simulation versus patient actors – what do participants prefer?

Abstract

Nottinghamshire Healthcare Medical Education delivers simulation-based learning to over 500 medical students and junior doctors each year. The scenarios for these sessions are co-produced and delivered with a simulated patient actor. In January 2023, we introduced a new type of simulation allowing participants to interact with a digital patient. The AVATr digital patient received good feedback delivered remotely [1], but we intended to use it face to face. Our aim was to find out whether participants found the digital patient more or less useful than the patient actor. A secondary aim was to explore if the digital patient was helpful in preparing for simulation with a patient actor. The digital patient simulation was delivered in the morning of a full-day session to a cohort of F2 doctors. Participants sat on a chair in front of a green screen with a go-pro filming them. Participants were able to see themselves in a third-person perspective on a TV screen and interact with a digital patient. The digital patient was controlled by a facilitator who chose responses from a grid depending on what had been asked and how it had been asked. The participants experienced two scenarios – one around assessing psychosis and one on adult self-harm. The participants also had a simulation later that day with a patient actor. We collected qualitative and quantitative feedback via digital forms and analysed the results. Ninety-two participants attended the sessions between January 2023 and March 2023. 70% of participants Agreed or Strongly agreed that the virtual patient was useful, compared to 100% for the patient actor. If facilitator familiarity with technology was adjusted for 68% of participants, Agreed or Strongly agreed the digital patient was useful. Eighty-six per cent of participants believed that digital patient simulation helped them prepare for the patient actor simulation. Total numbers in Clustered bar graph comparing Likert-scale responses to the statements The Virtual Patient was useful and The Patient Actor was useful We found that whilst participants overwhelming preferred simulation with a patient actor to simulation with a digital patient, the digital patient played a role in helping prepare participants for simulation with a patient actor. Authors confirm that all relevant ethical standards for research conduct and dissemination have been met. The submitting author confirms that relevant ethical approval was granted, if applicable.