Amy Stevens

The validity of a virtual human experience for interpersonal skills education

Any new tool introduced for education needs to be validated. We developed a virtual human experience called the Virtual Objective Structured Clinical Examination (VOSCE). In the VOSCE, a medical student examines a life-size virtual human who is presenting symptoms of an illness. The student is then graded on interview skills. As part of a medical school class requirement, thirty three second year medical students participated in a user study designed to determine the validity of the VOSCE for testing interview skills. In the study, participant performance in the VOSCE is compared to participant performance in the OSCE, an interview with a trained actor. There was a significant correlation (r(33)=.49, p<.005) between overall score in the VOSCE and overall score in the OSCE. This means that the interaction skills used with a virtual human translate to the interaction skills used with a real human. Comparing the experience of virtual human interaction to real human interaction is the critical validation step towards using virtual humans for interpersonal skills education.

Comparing Interpersonal Interactions with a Virtual Human to Those with a Real Human

This paper provides key insights into the construction and evaluation of interpersonal simulators¿systems that enable interpersonal interaction with virtual humans. Using an interpersonal simulator, two studies were conducted that compare interactions with a virtual human to interactions with a similar real human. The specific interpersonal scenario employed was that of a medical interview. Medical students interacted with either a virtual human simulating appendicitis or a real human pretending to have the same symptoms. In Study I (n = 24), medical students elicited the same information from the virtual and real human, indicating that the content of the virtual and real interactions were similar. However, participants appeared less engaged and insincere with the virtual human. These behavioral differences likely stemmed from the virtual humans limited expressive behavior. Study II (n = 58) explored participant behavior using new measures. Nonverbal behavior appeared to communicate lower interest and a poorer attitude toward the virtual human. Some subjective measures of participant behavior yielded contradictory results, highlighting the need for objective, physically-based measures in future studies.

Evolving an immersive medical communication skills trainer

This paper presents our experiences in evolving the Virtual Objective Structured Clinical Exam (VOSCE) system. This system allows medical students to experience the interaction between a patient and a medical doctor using natural methods of interaction with a high level of immersion. These features enable the system to provide training on medical communication skills. We discuss the experiences of a group of medical and physician assistant students that pilot tested the system. Further, we examine the impact of evolving the system based on their feedback. The VOSCE systems performance in subsequent studies has indicated that end-user feedback improvements have significantly impacted overall performance and efficacy.

Computation of Localized Flow for Steady and Unsteady Vector Fields and Its Applications

This paper provides key insights into the construction and evaluation of interpersonal simulators - systems that enable interpersonal interaction with virtual humans. Using an interpersonal simulator, two studies were conducted that compare interactions with a virtual human to interactions with a similar real human. The specific interpersonal scenario employed was that of a medical interview. Medical students interacted with either a virtual human simulating appendicitis or a real human pretending to have the same symptoms. In study I (n=24), medical students elicited the same information from the virtual and real human, indicating that the content of the virtual and real interactions were similar. However, participants appeared less engaged and insincere with the virtual human. These behavioral differences likely stemmed from the virtual humans limited expressive behavior. Study II (n=58) explored participant behavior using new measures. Nonverbal behavior appeared to communicate lower interest and a poorer attitude toward the virtual human. Some subjective measures of participant behavior yielded contradictory results, highlighting the need for objective, physically-based measures in future studiesThis paper provides key insights into the construction and evaluation of interpersonal simulators - systems that enable interpersonal interaction with virtual humans. Using an interpersonal simulator, two studies were conducted that compare interactions with a virtual human to interactions with a similar real human. The specific interpersonal scenario employed was that of a medical interview. Medical students interacted with either a virtual human simulating appendicitis or a real human pretending to have the same symptoms. In study I (n=24), medical students elicited the same information from the virtual and real human, indicating that the content of the virtual and real interactions were similar. However, participants appeared less engaged and insincere with the virtual human. These behavioral differences likely stemmed from the virtual humans limited expressive behavior. Study II (n=58) explored participant behavior using new measures. Nonverbal behavior appeared to communicate lower interest and a poorer attitude toward the virtual human. Some subjective measures of participant behavior yielded contradictory results, highlighting the need for objective, physically-based measures in future studies

A Multi-Institutional Pilot Study to Evaluate the Use of Virtual Patients to Teach Health Professions Students History-Taking and Communication Skills

UF Medical Student MCG Medical Student Thomas Bernard BS , Amy Stevens MD 3,4 4 , Peggy Wagner PhD , Nicole Bernard BS , Lori Schumacher PhD Kyle Johnsen, Robert Dickerson, Andrew Raij, Benjamin Lok PhD 7 , Margaret Duerson PhD , Marc Cohen MD, D. Scott Lind MD Departments of Surgery, OB/GYN 3 4 5 , Family Medicine , Clinical Skills Center , School of Nursing Medical College of Georgia, Augusta, GA Colleges of Engineering and Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL