Impact of Virtual Reality on Healthcare Provider Empathy for Older Adults with Sensory Impairment

Abstract Virtual reality (VR) is an innovative technology that can simulate dual sensory impairment so that healthcare providers can experience this affliction common in older adults. The current study investigated whether VR simulation could increase empathy among healthcare workers. Empathetic care is linked with improved patient satisfaction, compliance, and outcomes. The study used a one-group pre/posttest study design implemented with healthcare providers at a hospital in the Mid-Atlantic region. All participants experienced a 7-minute VR scenario from the viewpoint of “Alfred”, a 74-year-old with macular degeneration and high frequency hearing loss on a commercial VR headset (Oculus Rift). A survey assessed participants’ self-reported knowledge, empathy, and behavior change. Empathy was measured using the validated tool Kiersma-Chen Empathy Scale (KCES). Analyses included descriptive statistics and paired t-tests. Survey results showed that participants increased their knowledge of macular degeneration and hearing loss, and that 9 of 14 empathy items had statistically significant increases (average absolute change = .41 points). Additionally, 97% of participants agreed or strongly agreed that they would utilize the information learned in their work with patients. Evidence suggests VR is an effective intervention to increase empathy and positively change behavior to support persons with sensory impairment.

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Impact of Virtual Reality on Healthcare Provider Empathy for Older Adults With Sensory Impairment

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igab046.235 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. 61-62

Author(s):

Suzanne Dutton

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Virtual Reality ◽

Healthcare Workers ◽

Healthcare Providers ◽

Innovative Technology ◽

Sensory Impairment ◽

High Frequency Hearing Loss ◽

Test Study ◽

Change Behavior ◽

Post Test

Abstract Virtual reality (VR) is an innovative technology that can simulate dual sensory impairment so that healthcare providers and others can experience this affliction common in older adults. This study investigated whether VR simulation could increase empathy among healthcare workers. Healthcare providers experienced a 7-minute scenario from the viewpoint of “Alfred”, a 74-year-old with macular degeneration and high frequency hearing loss on a commercial VR headset (Oculus Rift). Using a one-group pre/post-test study design, we measured knowledge, changes in empathy, and assessed participants’ self-reported behavior change. Results showed that participants increased their knowledge and that 9 of 14 empathy items had statistically significant increases. Additionally, 97% of participants agreed or strongly agreed that they would utilize the information learned in their work with patients. In conclusion, evidence suggests VR is an effective intervention to increase empathy and positively change behavior to support persons with sensory impairment.

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VIRTUAL REALITY MEDICAL EDUCATION PROJECT ENHANCES EMPATHY

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igz038.1096 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. S298-S299

Author(s):

Marilyn R Gugliucci

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Medical Education ◽

Virtual Reality ◽

Hearing Loss ◽

Medical Students ◽

New England ◽

Macular Degeneration ◽

Hand Tracking ◽

Care Utilization ◽

Adult Health

Abstract Introduction: It is particularly important that innovative learning modalities are utilized to augment medical students’ learning about empathy in relation to older adult health care. As the older population increases and lives longer, their health care utilization is predicted to increase dramatically. Methods: 1st year osteopathic medical students (N=174) at the University of New England were required to complete the National Network of Libraries of Medicine (NN/LM) New England Region (NER) grant funded Embodied Labs’ “We Are Alfred” Virtual Reality (VR) module (15 min) and a pre/post-test. The students assumed the role of Alfred, a 74 y/o African American male with macular degeneration and hearing loss. “We Are Alfred” utilizes a virtual reality headset, headphones, and a hand-tracking device to immerse students into Alfred’s experiences as a patient. Descriptive statistics and t-tests were applied for data analyses. Results: Learning was broad and significant: 94% reported increased empathy; 92% reported increased learning about macular degeneration; and 90% reported increased learning about hearing loss. Qualitative data collected from the pre-tests and post-tests supported learning on empathy with 4 associated themes (Personal Experiences, Perceptions of Older Adults, Thoughts about Health, Descriptors of Aging).. Conclusion: Virtual reality was deemed a successful medical education learning tool for these medical students. Utilizing this technology to create an immersive case study taught these medical students about the aging experience from the first-person patient perspective.

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Using virtual reality in medical education to teach empathy

Journal of the Medical Library Association JMLA ◽

10.5195/jmla.2018.518 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 106 (4) ◽

Cited By ~ 22

Author(s):

Elizabeth Dyer ◽

Barbara J. Swartzlander ◽

Marilyn R. Gugliucci

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Virtual Reality ◽

Hearing Loss ◽

Teaching Method ◽

Health Professions ◽

Nursing Curricula ◽

Age Related ◽

Aging Services ◽

Immersion Training ◽

Teaching Modality

Objective: The project adopted technology that teaches medical and other health professions students to be empathic with older adults, through virtual reality (VR) software that allows them to simulate being a patient with age-related diseases, and to familiarize medical students with information resources related to the health of older adults.Methods: The project uses an application that creates immersive VR experiences for training of the workforce for aging services. Users experience age-related conditions such as macular degeneration and high-frequency hearing loss from the patient’s perspective. Librarians and faculty partner to integrate the experience into the curriculum, and students go to the library at their convenience to do the VR assignment.Results: The project successfully introduced an innovative new teaching modality to the medical, physician assistant, physical therapy, and nursing curricula. Results show that VR enhanced students’ understanding of age-related health problems and increased their empathy for older adults with vision and hearing loss or Alzheimer’s disease.Conclusion: VR immersion training is an effective teaching method to help medical and health professions students develop empathy and is a budding area for library partnerships. As the technology becomes more affordable and accessible, it is important to develop best practices for using VR in the library.

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The Impact of Subjective and Objective Hearing Loss on Cognition and Memory in Older Adults

Perspectives on Gerontology ◽

10.1044/gero20.2.49 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 20 (2) ◽

pp. 49-57 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Yvonne Rogalski ◽

Amy Rominger

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Hearing Loss ◽

Reading Aloud ◽

Cognitive Testing ◽

Professional Collaboration ◽

Cognitive Screening ◽

Speech Language Pathologist ◽

Text Passage ◽

The Impact ◽

Audiologic Evaluation

For this exploratory cross-disciplinary study, a speech-language pathologist and an audiologist collaborated to investigate the effects of objective and subjective hearing loss on cognition and memory in 11 older adults without hearing loss (OAs), 6 older adults with unaided hearing loss (HLOAs), and 16 young adults (YAs). All participants received cognitive testing and a complete audiologic evaluation including a subjective questionnaire about perceived hearing difficulty. Memory testing involved listening to or reading aloud a text passage then verbally recalling the information. Key findings revealed that objective hearing loss and subjective hearing loss were correlated and both were associated with a cognitive screening test. Potential clinical implications are discussed and include a need for more cross-professional collaboration in assessing older adults with hearing loss.

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