Exploring the use of a virtual patient model for teaching clinical empathy to medical students at a tertiary care institute: a cross-sectional study

Objective: Clinical empathy is a vital aspect of medical practice that enhances patient care and strengthens the doctor-patient relationship. This cross-sectional study aimed to investigate innovative teaching methods for clinical empathy by exploring the use of a virtual patient model in medical education. Materials and Methods: Medical students were allocated into two groups according to their roll numbers (odd or even): the virtual patient (VP) group, which was exposed to Virtual People Factory (VPF) simulations, and the standard patient (SP) group, which interacted with volunteers role-playing as patients. Pre- and post-interaction changes in empathy levels were assessed using the Toronto Empathy Questionnaire. Empathetic communication was evaluated during the interactions using the Empathetic Communication Coding System (ECCS) by the research team. Results: Empathy scores were similar between the VP and SP groups in both pre- and post-intervention assessments. Conclusion: The findings indicate that virtual patient models can be effective in enhancing clinical empathy, highlighting their potential as a teaching tool in medical education.