UI team creating VR training on cultural sensitivity for physicians

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WCIA) — A team at the University of Illinois is developing a series of virtual reality training modules to help improve cultural competency between patients and doctors.

The three modules aim to help health care professionals be more mindful of how they communicate with a wide array of patients, particularly people of color.

The first virtual reality module focuses on Black maternal health and shows how a doctor’s subtle prejudice can affect his patient. The second module works on identifying and mitigating personal biases. The third allows trainees to practice their intercultural communication skills with a virtual patient.

A pilot study was conducted with 30 medical students and resident physicians. They viewed the first module then completed a survey. The survey asked participants to think about taking patients’ opinions into account when it comes to their illness and its everyday impact, and whether satisfactory healthcare can be given without their input.

There were also two open-ended questions on how Black postpartum women can receive more attentive care. Participants shared a goal to listen to and prioritize the feelings of patients and their decisions, and to be more conscientious of bedside manners.

The research team determined that participants’ awareness and attitudes towards bias and culturally competent communication improved significantly after the training.

“We know that disparities in Black maternal health affect or are connected to disparities for Black infants, including preterm birth and low birth weights. And so, for me, this is one of the most urgent needs when it comes to the health of women and children,” said team member Charee Thompson in an interview with the U of I News Bureau.

Thompson was first author of the study and is a professor of communication at the U of I. She, along with fellow professor of communication Mardia Bishop, Carle Foundation Hospital obstetrician and gynecologist Dr. Tiffani Dillard, and Dr. Joseph Maurice of Creighton University School of Medicine are leading the way on developing the training modules.

Creating the first module was a $40,000 project. The second and third modules are still in development. A $100,000 grant was also awarded to Dr. Maurice from Creighton University for training at their Phoenix campus. The grant will go towards expanding the research sample to about 300 medical students.

More study co-authors include: Thenkurussi Kesavadas, then-founder-director of the Health Care Engineering Systems Center at the U of I; alumni Manuel D. Pulido, a professor of communication studies at California State University, Long Beach; Corey Zeinstra, a Boeing software engineer in immersive technologies; graduate student M.J. Salas of Rutgers University, and U of I grad students Déjà D. Rollins, Emily A. Mendelson, Jia Yan, Emily R. Gerlikovski and Sarah V. Benevento.

The study is published in the Health Communication journal.

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