Virtual reality may help doctors to handle difficult conversations with patients

With ever-growing pressures on the NHS, coping with indignant or frustrated patients and their relatives has grow to be increasingly common for those working in healthcare.

But what if doctors could practice navigating indignant conversations with patients and their relatives in virtual reality before having to accomplish that face-to-face?

Doctors and other healthcare professionals will get the possibility to do precisely that, using technology developed by a British company for the Royal Society of Medicine –  one in every of the UK’s leading providers of continuous learning for healthcare professionals.

Bodyswaps, a virtual reality company, working with educationalists on the RSM, has developed a simulation enhanced by AI software to assist doctors to enhance their ability to discover anger signals, recognize how different responses can diffuse or exacerbate anger, remain calm in hostile situations, and move the situation forward with empathy.

Doctors and medical students will wear VR headsets to satisfy virtual patients and members of the family in emotionally charged scenarios.  One situation tasks them with communicating with an upset husband who believes that there’s a lack of urgency from the medical team about his wife’s breast cancer. One other situation asks doctors to take care of an unhappy and uncooperative elderly man who has began to develop urinary incontinence.

The software analytics measure the extent to which learners defuse or aggravate the patient or relative’s anger through the composition of their speech and non-verbal communication, resembling eye contact, pace, volume, intonation and hand gestures.

At first and end of the immersive module, doctors are asked to finish a self-reflection questionnaire to see how much their confidence levels have improved from the training.

Professor Dame Lesley Fallowfield, DBE of Brighton and Sussex Medical School, was the chief academic consultant on the project, bringing rigor and specialized knowledge to the course content. She says: “Communicating with patients is a core clinical skill, but it surely’s not something healthcare professionals get much formal training in.

“Anecdotally, we all know that healthcare professionals often face increased levels of verbal abuse from patients. And medics often say that handling indignant patients and relatives is one in every of their best challenges. Learning methods to diffuse anger is a vital skill, no matter the setting.”

The best way professionals handle difficult interactions can have a profound impact on the experience of the patient at what’s prone to be a stressful time of their life. We expect this technology will improve patients’ experiences and likewise help with the wellbeing of healthcare professionals.”

Professor Mary Bishop, Director of Learning, Royal Society of Medicine

Chris Mallet, CEO of Bodyswaps, adds: “VR is a protected space to practice skills that may be hard to learn in the warmth of the moment.  Our technology gives healthcare professionals an immersive training experience and the possibility to place theory into practice.”

A post-pandemic survey of 1,000 GPs* showed that nearly three-quarters (74%) experienced increased levels of patient abuse compared with before.  

Accessing the module

The brand new module is obtainable for all RSM members. In the approaching weeks, we’ll share how you may access it using your personal devices.