Modeling Professional Attitudes and Teaching Humanistic Communication in VR

描述（由申请人提供）：在VR中塑造职业态度和教授人文交流（M-PathicVR）危及生命的癌症患者需要能够深思熟虑和清晰地说话的护理人员，并通过了解他们的兴趣，价值观和信仰来帮助他们做出困难的决定。然而，之前的研究表明，肿瘤学家与不到35%的晚期癌症患者进行临终讨论。医学生、住院医师、甚至肿瘤学研究员都缺乏在临终沟通方面的有效培训。使用标准化患者（SP）是昂贵、耗时和资源密集的。教育工作者需要一种新的模式来有效地向医学学员传授道德和专业价值观。拥有领先的动画师，剧本作家，新媒体专家和专业教育工作者，医疗网络世界公司（MCW）正在开拓新媒体技术，可以通过创建虚拟的，情境化的，第一人称的，体验式培训来提供这种新范式。MCW寻求开发和评估M-PathicVR原型，该原型将在医学实习生和刚刚得知自己患有晚期癌症的虚拟患者之间建立移情互动。有三个目标。目的1。设计原型的蓝图：a)制定性能标准；B)撰写“突发坏消息”剧本；C)设计虚拟病人；D)设计虚拟现实环境和用户界面；e)整合来自两所医学院的医学生和医学教育专家通过四个焦点小组获得的形成性评价反馈。目标2。根据蓝图构建M-PathicVR原型：a)记录脚本和对话轨迹；B)配音演员表演剧本的录像带；C)对虚拟病人进行装配和建模；D)使虚拟病人动画化；E)开发虚拟环境；F)编制用户评价引擎；g)编程接口。目标3。与来自两所不同医学院的医学生和医学专家组成的四个焦点小组对M-PathicVR原型进行总结性评估。在第一阶段，MCW将：1)开发一种脚本化医患沟通的方法，该方法包括教学数据和客观评估元素；2)创建一个情感唤起的虚拟癌症患者，用于建模其他角色（例如，家庭成员和其他照顾者）；3)培养了一名内部动画导演专家，运用专有动画技术；4)为逼真的VR环境制定规范；5)制定用户评估方法；6)创建并验证了与虚拟患者交流的用户界面。MCW将在第二阶段开发、构建和测试完整的M- PathicVR应用程序。M-PathicVR系统可以用更少的费用培训更多的学生，并提供比传统SP更可靠的评估数据。M-PathicVR系统将彻底改变医患沟通、文化能力、以患者为中心和反思专业精神的教学，并使MCW能够获得额外投资，以创建“网络一代”医学教育工具。医生很少接受关于如何与癌症晚期患者沟通的有效培训，以帮助他们做出对患者和社会产生巨大情感和经济影响的艰难决定。事实上，目前的研究表明，大多数患者及其家属甚至从未与他们的肿瘤学家讨论过临终问题；这种沟通的失败给富有同情心的护理和预防痛苦造成了重大障碍。为了满足这一迫切需求，Medical Cyberworlds建议为医学生开发一个革命性的虚拟现实培训平台，其中包括：一个可信的虚拟癌症患者，将在情感上与医疗实习生互动；一种结合临终沟通最佳教学实践的脚本编写方法；以及一个客观评估学员能力的系统。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Modeling Professional Attitudes and Teaching Humanistic Communication in VR (M-PathicVR) Patients with life-threatening cancer need caregivers who can speak thoughtfully and intelligibly, and help them through difficult decisions by understanding their interests, values, and beliefs. Yet previous research shows that oncologists have end-of-life discussions with less than 35 percent of advanced cancer patients. Medical students, residents, and even oncology fellows lack effective training in end-of-life communication. Using standardized patients (SP) is costly, time-consuming, and resource-intensive. Educators need a new paradigm to effectively impart ethical and professional values to medical trainees. With leading animators, script writers, new media experts and professional educators, Medical Cyberworlds, Inc (MCW) is pioneering new media technologies that can provide this new paradigm by creating virtual, contextualized, first-person, experiential training. MCW seeks to develop and evaluate an M-PathicVR prototype that will create empathic interactions between medical trainees and a virtual patient who has just learned she has terminal cancer. There are three aims. Aim 1. Design the blueprint for the prototype: a) develop performance criteria; b) compose the 'breaking bad news' script; c) design the virtual patient; d) design the virtual reality environment and user interface; and e) integrate feedback from formative evaluation obtained through four focus groups with medical students and medical education experts from two medical schools. Aim 2. Build the M-PathicVR prototype based on the blueprint: a) record the script and dialog track; b) videotape a voice actor performing the script; c) rig and model the virtual patient; d) animate the virtual patient; e) develop the virtual environment; f) program the user evaluation engine; and g) program the interface. Aim 3. Conduct summative assessment of the M-PathicVR prototype with four focus groups of medical students and medical experts from two different medical schools. In Phase I, MCW will have: 1) developed a method of scripting physician-patient communication that incorpo- rates pedagogical data and objective evaluation elements; 2) created an emotionally evocative virtual cancer patient useful for modeling additional characters (e.g., family members and other caregivers); 3) trained an in- house animation director expert in applying proprietary animation technology; 4) developed specifications for a believable VR environment; 5) developed user assessment methods; and 6) created and validated user interface for communicating with virtual patients. MCW will be then positioned to develop, build, and beta test the full M- PathicVR application in Phase II. The M-PathicVR system can train more students with less expense and provide more robust evaluation data than traditional SP encounters. The M-PathicVR system will revolutionize teaching of doctor-patient communications, cultural competence, patient-centeredness, and reflective professionalism, and allow MCW to secure additional investment to create 'Net Gen' medical education tools. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Modeling Professional Attitudes and Teaching Humanistic Communication in VR (M-PathicVR) Doctors rarely receive effective training on how to communicate with patients who have terminal cancer, to help them with difficult decisions that have great emotional and financial impacts on the patients and society. Indeed, current research shows that most patients and their families never even have end-of-life discussions with their oncologists; this communication failure creates a significant barrier to compassionate care and prevention of suffering. To meet this urgent need, Medical Cyberworlds proposes to develop a revolutionary virtual reality training platform for medical students that will include: a believable virtual cancer patient that will emotionally engage the medical trainee; a scripting method that incorporates best teaching practices for end-of-life communications; and a system for objectively evaluating the trainee's competence.