| Abstrakt: |
Given growing interest in advanced applications of mixed methods research, we illustrate a multiphase, mixed methods program of research involving multidisciplinary collaboration to create a computer simulation using virtual humans to teach advanced communication skills, and to test the simulation in an educational trial. Phase I comprised 3 parts. Part I involved designing, building, testing, and refining a prototype called MPathic-VR. Four focus groups informed a blueprint used in Part II to develop the prototype. In Part III, focus groups; quantitative efficacy/feasibility testing; qualitative interviews/quantitative assessments; and the results, confirmed the feasibility of using the MPathic-VR program in medical education, and yielded critical design information for further development. Phase II comprised 2 parts: expanding features of MPathic-VR and testing its effectiveness. Part I involved 3 aims: incorporating additional competencies, creating a framework for streamlining virtual human development, and creating an automated after action review. A Part II mixed methods single-blinded, multisite, randomized controlled trial demonstrated that compared to controls, MPathic-VRexposed students improved their performance with each successive encounter with the communication modules. They achieved statistically significantly higher composite scores from evaluators in a realistic clinical scenario held at a delayed interval after the training. They scored higher attitudinal scores about their experiences, and valued learning nonverbal communication skills, receiving immediate feedback and experiencing simulated emotionally-charged clinical encounters. This article illustrates a program of research used to develop an intervention and then test it, and applying mixed methods research to the development of complex virtual human technology through collaboration across multiple disciplines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
