Exploring VR & AI clinical communication training for medical students at UCLA

About

• Assess how easy it is for users with varying tech experience to set up and navigate the Bodyswaps platform and VR hardware.
• Trial the software with medical students to gather feedback on usability, engagement, & impact.
• Evaluate whether AI & VR can provide accessible, repeatable clinical communication training outside of classroom settings.

Deployment

Self-guided access

Bodyswaps was deployed as a self-guided learning tool, with students accessing the platform independently using Meta Quest headsets.

Scott provided setup support and gathered feedback individually, allowing learners to engage with the training flexibly in their own time.

Research

Building upon a 2023 article by Webb, who prompted ChatGPT to roleplay as the family of a patient in an emergency room scenario, Scott prompted our Active Listening in Healthcare AI roleplay to create a scenario where a patient learns they have pancreatic cancer. 

Scott presented his findings at the NIH’s Child Intervention, Prevention, and Services (CHIPS) Research Institute conference. Many clinicians in the audience were excited by the potential of VR in education, most had not yet considered its application in training communication skills.

Advice

• Allow students to access Bodyswaps independently, enabling them to practise communication skills on their own schedule.
• Use immersive learning to complement existing clinical education, especially for scenarios students may not encounter in rotations.

Future plans

Dr. Comulada remains committed to advancing digital learning in clinical education. 

He expressed a strong interest in continuing to explore the use of immersive technologies like Bodyswaps, particularly in understanding their long-term impact on learner outcomes.

He is also particularly interested in conducting studies comparing VR and desktop effectiveness in clinical training