598 - Group Virtual Reality Simulations for Pediatric Communication Training: A Novel Application of Situated Learning Theory

Poster Number: 598
Publication Number: 598.118

Daniel G. Young, Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO, United States; Lisa E. Herrmann, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, United States; Laura E. Elliott, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, United States; Francis Real, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, United States

Background: Medical practice requires proficiencies in motivational interviewing (MI), evidence-based collaborative communication skills, to promote behavior change in patients. In undergraduate medical education (UME), efforts to support MI skill development include lectures and standardized patients, with no consensus on ideal training strategies. Virtual reality (VR) patient simulators have demonstrated efficacy in resident communication training, though its application in UME has not been rigorously studied. We sought to assess the impact of group VR training on students’ self-efficacy related to MI competencies in two areas: vaccine hesitancy and behavioral health. We used situated learning, an adult-learning strategy that promotes skill development through shared observation and participation with team members, to guide curriculum development and evaluation.

Objective: To determine the impact of a group VR communication training curriculum with fourth-year medical students on MI skills related to vaccine hesitancy and behavioral health anticipatory guidance

Design/Methods: We delivered a three-hour education session via video teleconferencing to 12 fourth-year medical students enrolled in a two-week pediatric intern readiness boot camp in April 2021. An attending physician facilitator reviewed evidence-based strategies for using MI to address influenza vaccine hesitancy and temper tantrum management. Students observed a resident participate in a VR simulation demonstrating these skills. Debriefing focused on the use of evidence-based strategies and MI skills. Students volunteered to participate in VR simulations and received feedback. Students completed a retrospective pre-post survey assessing self-efficacy in MI, addressing vaccine hesitancy, and managing temper tantrums using a five-point Likert scale (0–not at all confident to 4–very confident). We used descriptive statistics to report mean scores and analyzed differences using Wilcoxon signed rank test.

Results: Ten students (83%) completed the survey. Students reported the greatest increase in self-efficacy for the following skills: reflective listening, addressing influenza vaccine hesitancy, and providing strategies to manage childhood temper tantrums (all p < 0.05, Table 1).Conclusion(s): VR patient simulations delivered via group video teleconferencing may offer an innovative strategy to increase fourth-year medical students’ perceived readiness to manage common pediatric clinical communication challenges using MI. Situated learning theory provides a framework to deliver such training in an effective, efficient, and potentially scalable manner.
Table 1. Retrospective pre-/post-survey assessing self-efficacy with motivational interviewing and communication skills, n=10
Figure 1. Educational intervention informed by Situated Learning Theory