Virtual patient clinical placements improve student communication competence

ABSTRACT

Effective communication is a generic competency essential to clinical practice. However, access to work-integrated placements where such competencies are traditionally developed is diminishing, compelling universities to develop supplementary placement opportunities in the form of simulated learning environments (SLE). Virtual or digital patient (VP) placements are an attractive SLE model, but evidence of their efficacy for developing student communication competence is limited. In the current study, 82 second-year undergraduate speech pathology students completed one half-day placement, requiring them to use conversation interaction skills to build rapport with a VP across two 10-minute interactions, separated by clinical educator (CE) feedback and self-reflection. Each student’s interactions were rated by CEs on 25 communication competencies and, following the second interaction, students completed retrospective pre-placement and post-placement self-ratings of their communication skills, knowledge and confidence. CEs’ ratings of students’ performance were significantly higher following the second interaction than they were following the first (median ${\eta }_p^2$= .710). Furthermore, the students’ post-placement self-ratings were significantly higher than their retrospective pre-placement ratings (median d_av = 1.25). These findings suggest that VP placements as simulated clinical learning opportunities support speech pathology education, and may have positive implications for all health professions.

KEYWORDS:

• Clinical education
• communication
• virtual patient
• digital patient
• virtual learning environment
• simulated learning environment
• speech-language pathology

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to acknowledge Kate Holmes, who contributed to the conceptual development and data analysis for this study.

Declaration of interests

The VLE technology described in this study was developed solely by Citrine Technologies, with funds provided from Curtin University. Both Citrine Technologies and Curtin University share the intellectual and commercial rights to the VLE technology described within this paper.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributors

Kate E. Robinson ([email protected]) is currently working at the Autism Association of Western Australia. The findings presented in this paper were originally reported in her Master of Speech Pathology thesis, submitted in November 2015 at Curtin University, Australia.

Peter J. Allen ([email protected]) is a Teaching Fellow in the School of Psychological Science at the University of Bristol. His primary research interests centre on evidenced based teaching and learning practices. The research reported in this paper was conducted whilst Peter was a Lecturer in the School of Psychology at Curtin University. http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9690-1545

Michelle Quail ([email protected]) is a Clinical Coordinator within the Speech Pathology programme at Curtin University, and is passionate about the clinical education of speech pathology students and using innovative methods to overcome current challenges. http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1699-1219

Janet Beilby ([email protected]) is an Associate Professor and Clinical Educator in the School of Occupational Therapy, Social Work and Speech Pathology at Curtin University. Her current research interests include the genetics of stuttering disorders and the psychosocial impact of speech disorders across the life-span. http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7439-5514