NHS professionals across the country are benefiting from new interactive training simulations that have been developed with academics at Keele University.
They enable clinicians to practice their shared decision-making skills with patients in a risk-free environment before applying them in real clinical settings.
The Personalised Care Institute (PCI) has created the simulations in collaboration with Keele.
It follows research from almost 1,500 health professionals which shows many have gaps in their knowledge and would like to learn more.
The simulations, commissioned by NHS England, are based around a series of lifelike simulated patient consultations which are broken down into three distinct parts.
Scenarios include an in-person consultation about osteoarthritis, and a remote consultation by telephone with a father concerning his son’s sore throat.
Multiple choice questions are used to provide a structured interaction between the healthcare professional and the on-screen animated patient character, and comprehensive feedback is provided at the end of each exercise, with users able to put their learnings to the test through repeat use.
The team at Keele were heavily involved in developing the technical and on-screen visual element of the simulations.
Dr Jessica Thompson, Lecturer in Clinical and Professional Practice at Keele University, said: “There is a strong drive towards person-centred care which ensures people are given more control and choice when it comes to decisions about their care.
“The simulations we have helped to develop are a fantastic way for healthcare professionals of any discipline to develop and practice their skills and improve their confidence in having consultations which support patients to get more involved in decisions about their care.
“The simulations really drive home the importance of providing care that is respectful and responsive to patients – which is what we teach our students on a daily basis.”
