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I am new to these forums, so go easy! This is a subject area that I have an interest in, so have written a brief introduction to the concept of the 'Virtual Patient' in medical education. Hope you find this interesting too!
Simulations have been around since the dawn of computing. Prolific examples range from Microsoft's Flight Simulator series right down to the plant life simulators encountered daily in botany tuition. A relatively new breed of simulation is the construction of a simulation of a doctor-patient interaction to aid in teaching of medical students.
A typical clinical consultation can have a variety of facets. It usually begins with a detailed history, with questions about why the patient came to see the doctor, and what has been happening with the illness in general. Questioning then progresses to medical problems in the past, family history, which medications the patient is taking, and a full review of all of the 'systems'. The consultation then proceeds to the examination, where the clinician uses knowledge and equipment to elicit clinical signs which help tease out the 'working diagnosis' from the list of 'differential diagnoses' that were developed during the medical history. Finally the doctor may order investigations and tests to help reinforce the working diagnosis and exclude differentials, such as electrocardiograms (ECGs), X-Rays, and blood tests. This establishes the working diagnosis and allows the clinician to progress to treatment and counselling.
A typical part of undergraduate medical education is the teaching of this process, and in depth study and practice of the various elements which form a successful clinical consultation. This is done by using common text books, which describe the right questions to ask and the way in which to examine a patient. However, it is not really until the student finds an opportunity to practice these learned skills on a real patient that they can really develop their abilities. In the modern NHS, these opportunities are few and far between due to an acceptance that in reality, a student who learned a particular technique will probably not be able to easily find a fitting patient to practice on. For example a student may learn the in depth methodology behind history taking and examining for acute appendicitis, but is unable to find a patient with this condition hence the skills learned will gradually wane and only elements will return when they do find the correct patient. Furthermore, if they do find a patient, typical time constraints and work ethics in the NHS will often prevent the student from being able to find a supervisor to watch them practice, and offer feedback. Hence the student is unaware of whether they performed the history and examination correctly, and can only reflect themselves.
As a result of these constraints, it has been acknowledged for a long time that an adjunct to the normal text-book based tuition is necessary. In other academic disciplines, computer-assisted learning (CAL) is a regular part of the curriculum. Likewise, in medical science, CAL has many applications, for example in teaching anatomical sciences, a 3-D rendered anatomical aid (ADAM) is available as well as traditional dissections. However, the recent surge in technology, particularly internet technology, has spawned a realistic opportunity to create a working virtual patient.
Creating a computer-based simulation of a patient is obviously not an easy task, and encompasses a huge chunk of the area covered by the field of artificial intelligence. Many academics have argued that a viable virtual patient is not possible until artificial intelligence progresses to such a point that open-ended dialogue and interactivity with an artifical being are achieved. This point is held by many, but disputed by many. The alternative school of thought suggests that a truly interactive entity is not a prerequisite for a virtual patient. Although history taking and examination is not an algorithmic process, there are many structured elements and by asking the 'right questions' and doing the 'right examinations' a complete and thorough understanding of the process is achieved. They suggest that by creating a virtual patient that does not necessarily respond to any stimulus, but simply to a series of cues that can be brought about by the student, would be perfectly sufficient.
The academic debate has sparked interest in many Universities, who are trialling models for virtual patients as part of undergraduate tuition of their students. Many working models have been developed, which all stick to a common formula. They all have good-looking interfaces, and all are based on the internet, which is sensible considering 100% of Universities and 63% of the British public are connected to the internet. However, they still convey information the classical text-book style interface. For example, the user clicks on 'Past Medical History' and the past medical history appears in a balloon. Although this style of information provision is not classically what was expected of a virtual patient, it does show that the interactivity aspect of the mouse and monitor provide a more compelling environment, as various studies have noted.
It is a truism, however, in this era of interactivity and computing, that a 'true' virtual patient is a realistic possibility. Asking a computer for responses has been around since the early days, in retro games such as 'Hugo's House Of Horrors' the user could interact with the computer by asking questions, and albeit having some glaringly obvious weaknesses, proved the point that it is a realistic technology. Although work is in progress, myself, and medical students around the world are waiting for the right implementation of a virtual patient as it would surely remove the constraints and propel students to new levels in their understanding and application of clinical principles.
Simulations have been around since the dawn of computing. Prolific examples range from Microsoft's Flight Simulator series right down to the plant life simulators encountered daily in botany tuition. A relatively new breed of simulation is the construction of a simulation of a doctor-patient interaction to aid in teaching of medical students.
A typical clinical consultation can have a variety of facets. It usually begins with a detailed history, with questions about why the patient came to see the doctor, and what has been happening with the illness in general. Questioning then progresses to medical problems in the past, family history, which medications the patient is taking, and a full review of all of the 'systems'. The consultation then proceeds to the examination, where the clinician uses knowledge and equipment to elicit clinical signs which help tease out the 'working diagnosis' from the list of 'differential diagnoses' that were developed during the medical history. Finally the doctor may order investigations and tests to help reinforce the working diagnosis and exclude differentials, such as electrocardiograms (ECGs), X-Rays, and blood tests. This establishes the working diagnosis and allows the clinician to progress to treatment and counselling.
A typical part of undergraduate medical education is the teaching of this process, and in depth study and practice of the various elements which form a successful clinical consultation. This is done by using common text books, which describe the right questions to ask and the way in which to examine a patient. However, it is not really until the student finds an opportunity to practice these learned skills on a real patient that they can really develop their abilities. In the modern NHS, these opportunities are few and far between due to an acceptance that in reality, a student who learned a particular technique will probably not be able to easily find a fitting patient to practice on. For example a student may learn the in depth methodology behind history taking and examining for acute appendicitis, but is unable to find a patient with this condition hence the skills learned will gradually wane and only elements will return when they do find the correct patient. Furthermore, if they do find a patient, typical time constraints and work ethics in the NHS will often prevent the student from being able to find a supervisor to watch them practice, and offer feedback. Hence the student is unaware of whether they performed the history and examination correctly, and can only reflect themselves.
As a result of these constraints, it has been acknowledged for a long time that an adjunct to the normal text-book based tuition is necessary. In other academic disciplines, computer-assisted learning (CAL) is a regular part of the curriculum. Likewise, in medical science, CAL has many applications, for example in teaching anatomical sciences, a 3-D rendered anatomical aid (ADAM) is available as well as traditional dissections. However, the recent surge in technology, particularly internet technology, has spawned a realistic opportunity to create a working virtual patient.
Creating a computer-based simulation of a patient is obviously not an easy task, and encompasses a huge chunk of the area covered by the field of artificial intelligence. Many academics have argued that a viable virtual patient is not possible until artificial intelligence progresses to such a point that open-ended dialogue and interactivity with an artifical being are achieved. This point is held by many, but disputed by many. The alternative school of thought suggests that a truly interactive entity is not a prerequisite for a virtual patient. Although history taking and examination is not an algorithmic process, there are many structured elements and by asking the 'right questions' and doing the 'right examinations' a complete and thorough understanding of the process is achieved. They suggest that by creating a virtual patient that does not necessarily respond to any stimulus, but simply to a series of cues that can be brought about by the student, would be perfectly sufficient.
The academic debate has sparked interest in many Universities, who are trialling models for virtual patients as part of undergraduate tuition of their students. Many working models have been developed, which all stick to a common formula. They all have good-looking interfaces, and all are based on the internet, which is sensible considering 100% of Universities and 63% of the British public are connected to the internet. However, they still convey information the classical text-book style interface. For example, the user clicks on 'Past Medical History' and the past medical history appears in a balloon. Although this style of information provision is not classically what was expected of a virtual patient, it does show that the interactivity aspect of the mouse and monitor provide a more compelling environment, as various studies have noted.
It is a truism, however, in this era of interactivity and computing, that a 'true' virtual patient is a realistic possibility. Asking a computer for responses has been around since the early days, in retro games such as 'Hugo's House Of Horrors' the user could interact with the computer by asking questions, and albeit having some glaringly obvious weaknesses, proved the point that it is a realistic technology. Although work is in progress, myself, and medical students around the world are waiting for the right implementation of a virtual patient as it would surely remove the constraints and propel students to new levels in their understanding and application of clinical principles.
Its very good, and perfect grammer.....but what does it have to do with the creative forum?
I'd put this in General, or even Intelligent discussion.
I'd put this in General, or even Intelligent discussion.
I am new to these forums, so go easy! This is a subject area that I have an interest in, so have written a brief introduction to the concept of the 'Virtual Patient' in medical education. Hope you find this interesting too!
Simulations have been around since the dawn of computing. Prolific examples range from Microsoft's Flight Simulator series right down to the plant life simulators encountered daily in botany tuition. A relatively new breed of simulation is the construction of a simulation of a doctor-patient interaction to aid in teaching of medical students.
A typical clinical consultation can have a variety of facets. It usually begins with a detailed history, with questions about why the patient came to see the doctor, and what has been happening with the illness in general. Questioning then progresses to medical problems in the past, family history, which medications the patient is taking, and a full review of all of the 'systems'. The consultation then proceeds to the examination, where the clinician uses knowledge and equipment to elicit clinical signs which help tease out the 'working diagnosis' from the list of 'differential diagnoses' that were developed during the medical history. Finally the doctor may order investigations and tests to help reinforce the working diagnosis and exclude differentials, such as electrocardiograms (ECGs), X-Rays, and blood tests. This establishes the working diagnosis and allows the clinician to progress to treatment and counselling.
A typical part of undergraduate medical education is the teaching of this process, and in depth study and practice of the various elements which form a successful clinical consultation. This is done by using common text books, which describe the right questions to ask and the way in which to examine a patient. However, it is not really until the student finds an opportunity to practice these learned skills on a real patient that they can really develop their abilities. In the modern NHS, these opportunities are few and far between due to an acceptance that in reality, a student who learned a particular technique will probably not be able to easily find a fitting patient to practice on. For example a student may learn the in depth methodology behind history taking and examining for acute appendicitis, but is unable to find a patient with this condition hence the skills learned will gradually wane and only elements will return when they do find the correct patient. Furthermore, if they do find a patient, typical time constraints and work ethics in the NHS will often prevent the student from being able to find a supervisor to watch them practice, and offer feedback. Hence the student is unaware of whether they performed the history and examination correctly, and can only reflect themselves.
As a result of these constraints, it has been acknowledged for a long time that an adjunct to the normal text-book based tuition is necessary. In other academic disciplines, computer-assisted learning (CAL) is a regular part of the curriculum. Likewise, in medical science, CAL has many applications, for example in teaching anatomical sciences, a 3-D rendered anatomical aid (ADAM) is available as well as traditional dissections. However, the recent surge in technology, particularly internet technology, has spawned a realistic opportunity to create a working virtual patient.
Creating a computer-based simulation of a patient is obviously not an easy task, and encompasses a huge chunk of the area covered by the field of artificial intelligence. Many academics have argued that a viable virtual patient is not possible until artificial intelligence progresses to such a point that open-ended dialogue and interactivity with an artifical being are achieved. This point is held by many, but disputed by many. The alternative school of thought suggests that a truly interactive entity is not a prerequisite for a virtual patient. Although history taking and examination is not an algorithmic process, there are many structured elements and by asking the 'right questions' and doing the 'right examinations' a complete and thorough understanding of the process is achieved. They suggest that by creating a virtual patient that does not necessarily respond to any stimulus, but simply to a series of cues that can be brought about by the student, would be perfectly sufficient.
The academic debate has sparked interest in many Universities, who are trialling models for virtual patients as part of undergraduate tuition of their students. Many working models have been developed, which all stick to a common formula. They all have good-looking interfaces, and all are based on the internet, which is sensible considering 100% of Universities and 63% of the British public are connected to the internet. However, they still convey information the classical text-book style interface. For example, the user clicks on 'Past Medical History' and the past medical history appears in a balloon. Although this style of information provision is not classically what was expected of a virtual patient, it does show that the interactivity aspect of the mouse and monitor provide a more compelling environment, as various studies have noted.
It is a truism, however, in this era of interactivity and computing, that a 'true' virtual patient is a realistic possibility. Asking a computer for responses has been around since the early days, in retro games such as 'Hugo's House Of Horrors' the user could interact with the computer by asking questions, and albeit having some glaringly obvious weaknesses, proved the point that it is a realistic technology. Although work is in progress, myself, and medical students around the world are waiting for the right implementation of a virtual patient as it would surely remove the constraints and propel students to new levels in their understanding and application of clinical principles.
Simulations have been around since the dawn of computing. Prolific examples range from Microsoft's Flight Simulator series right down to the plant life simulators encountered daily in botany tuition. A relatively new breed of simulation is the construction of a simulation of a doctor-patient interaction to aid in teaching of medical students.
A typical clinical consultation can have a variety of facets. It usually begins with a detailed history, with questions about why the patient came to see the doctor, and what has been happening with the illness in general. Questioning then progresses to medical problems in the past, family history, which medications the patient is taking, and a full review of all of the 'systems'. The consultation then proceeds to the examination, where the clinician uses knowledge and equipment to elicit clinical signs which help tease out the 'working diagnosis' from the list of 'differential diagnoses' that were developed during the medical history. Finally the doctor may order investigations and tests to help reinforce the working diagnosis and exclude differentials, such as electrocardiograms (ECGs), X-Rays, and blood tests. This establishes the working diagnosis and allows the clinician to progress to treatment and counselling.
A typical part of undergraduate medical education is the teaching of this process, and in depth study and practice of the various elements which form a successful clinical consultation. This is done by using common text books, which describe the right questions to ask and the way in which to examine a patient. However, it is not really until the student finds an opportunity to practice these learned skills on a real patient that they can really develop their abilities. In the modern NHS, these opportunities are few and far between due to an acceptance that in reality, a student who learned a particular technique will probably not be able to easily find a fitting patient to practice on. For example a student may learn the in depth methodology behind history taking and examining for acute appendicitis, but is unable to find a patient with this condition hence the skills learned will gradually wane and only elements will return when they do find the correct patient. Furthermore, if they do find a patient, typical time constraints and work ethics in the NHS will often prevent the student from being able to find a supervisor to watch them practice, and offer feedback. Hence the student is unaware of whether they performed the history and examination correctly, and can only reflect themselves.
As a result of these constraints, it has been acknowledged for a long time that an adjunct to the normal text-book based tuition is necessary. In other academic disciplines, computer-assisted learning (CAL) is a regular part of the curriculum. Likewise, in medical science, CAL has many applications, for example in teaching anatomical sciences, a 3-D rendered anatomical aid (ADAM) is available as well as traditional dissections. However, the recent surge in technology, particularly internet technology, has spawned a realistic opportunity to create a working virtual patient.
Creating a computer-based simulation of a patient is obviously not an easy task, and encompasses a huge chunk of the area covered by the field of artificial intelligence. Many academics have argued that a viable virtual patient is not possible until artificial intelligence progresses to such a point that open-ended dialogue and interactivity with an artifical being are achieved. This point is held by many, but disputed by many. The alternative school of thought suggests that a truly interactive entity is not a prerequisite for a virtual patient. Although history taking and examination is not an algorithmic process, there are many structured elements and by asking the 'right questions' and doing the 'right examinations' a complete and thorough understanding of the process is achieved. They suggest that by creating a virtual patient that does not necessarily respond to any stimulus, but simply to a series of cues that can be brought about by the student, would be perfectly sufficient.
The academic debate has sparked interest in many Universities, who are trialling models for virtual patients as part of undergraduate tuition of their students. Many working models have been developed, which all stick to a common formula. They all have good-looking interfaces, and all are based on the internet, which is sensible considering 100% of Universities and 63% of the British public are connected to the internet. However, they still convey information the classical text-book style interface. For example, the user clicks on 'Past Medical History' and the past medical history appears in a balloon. Although this style of information provision is not classically what was expected of a virtual patient, it does show that the interactivity aspect of the mouse and monitor provide a more compelling environment, as various studies have noted.
It is a truism, however, in this era of interactivity and computing, that a 'true' virtual patient is a realistic possibility. Asking a computer for responses has been around since the early days, in retro games such as 'Hugo's House Of Horrors' the user could interact with the computer by asking questions, and albeit having some glaringly obvious weaknesses, proved the point that it is a realistic technology. Although work is in progress, myself, and medical students around the world are waiting for the right implementation of a virtual patient as it would surely remove the constraints and propel students to new levels in their understanding and application of clinical principles.