Abstract
Background
Effective communication is critical in nursing, directly influencing patient safety, healthcare teamwork, and the overall quality of care. Evidence consistently shows that poor communication significantly contributes to patient safety incidents and adverse outcomes in healthcare settings. Despite this critical importance, nursing students often report feeling unprepared for the complexities of clinical communications, particularly during patient assessments and team handovers. Traditional teaching methods, such as role-play and the use of standardized patients, offer limited opportunities for structured practice and timely feedback, creating a substantial gap in clinical communication training.
Description of Initiative
To address this educational gap, this project creates an innovative AI-powered virtual reality simulation system that offers structured practice opportunities and instant feedback for nursing students. The development team includes nursing educators, nursing students, and technical experts who work collaboratively to create realistic clinical scenarios that reflect genuine challenges faced in healthcare setting. The project has three phases: (1) developing the AI-VR simulation system with clinical scenarios, (2) integrating it into the nursing curriculum, and (3) assessing learning outcomes. Scenarios are tailored to address specific communication challenges, such as difficult patient interactions, interprofessional communication, and emergency situations.
The learning design includes a thorough pre-simulation briefing, where students participate in an interactive orientation aligned with SBAR (Situation, Background, Assessment, Recommendation) protocols. During the AI-VR simulation, students interact with virtual patients powered by GPT-4 technology, which provides natural and adaptable responses across three levels of complexity that mirror real-world clinical challenges. The simulation system records verbal and non-verbal communication elements, offering real-time feedback and recording features for subsequent review. A structured debriefing phase utilizes the 3D Model, promoting guided reflection and feedback to facilitate the development of specific improvement strategies.
The initiative aims to enhance team communication effectiveness, improve patient safety awareness, and develop stronger clinical handover skills. Implementation strategies include integrating into regular clinical skills training and continuously refining based on user feedback.
Evidence of Outcomes
Initial student feedback shows positive reception of the AI-VR simulation system, with participants reporting significant improvements in their clinical communication skills. Students especially value the chance for repeated practice and structured feedback in a safe learning environment. Future updates will expand the scenario database based on this feedback to include more complex team communication situations and emergency scenarios.
Presenter(s) / Author(s)
