Document Type
Article
Publication Date
3-14-2024
Abstract
Empathy, an integral component of bedside manner, correlates with good healthcare provision. Training physician assistant (PA) students using Head-Mounted Display (HMD) virtual reality (VR) contributed to significant empathy increases. This pilot study, which relied on a retrospective analysis, compared a VR experience using HMD to a streamed modality (due to COVID safety) with PA students to measure empathy. We hypothesized that fully immersive, interactive HMD VR would lead to a statistically significant increase in empathy versus the streaming modality. The “Alfred Lab” VR allows viewers to “embody” a 74-year-old African American man with vision and hearing loss. The University of New England PA class of 2021 (n=47) completed the HMD lab while the class of 2022 (n=50) viewed the streaming modality as a group. Identical pre/post surveys were completed by each cohort. Analysis utilized paired sample t-tests, ANOVA, frequency analysis (quantitative), and content analysis with thematic coding (qualitative). Results for each cohort revealed a statistically significant increase in empathy (p
Recommended Citation
Villmore, Dana; Dyer, Elizabeth; and Gugliucci, Marilyn R., "Teaching Empathy: Comparison Of A Virtual Reality Experience Using Head-Mounted Display Versus Group Streaming" (2024). Physician Assistant Faculty Publications. 1.
https://dune.une.edu/pa_facpubs/1
Comments
This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Gerontology & Geriatrics Education on March 14, 2024, available at: https://doi.org//10.1080/02701960.2024.2328514.
Please contact the authors for a copy of this AAM until its embargo releases.