The acquisition and development of transversal competences, especially communication skills, are highlighted by the main world and European forums on education and work as priorities to be taken into account to meet the current and future demands of society as a whole. Currently, communication skills in healthcare professionals are a key element for the implementation of the new healthcare paradigm of person-centred care, as well as one of its greatest deficiencies, as pointed out in numerous studies. In the report recently provided by the European Patients Forum (2017), he points to the social and communication skills of health personnel as a deficit aspect in their training and great need of reinforcement/training. In the training of health professionals, these competencies are considered as a crucial aspect for the adequate professional development capable of facing the new healthcare demands, but they nevertheless encounter numerous limitations for their adequate training. HEALTHCOMM SIMULATOR aims to promote the acquisition of transversal and basic competences, specifically in the communication of future health professionals of different university degrees, developing for this an innovative pedagogical tool based on a virtual simulation environment capable of providing information in real-time. All this in order to facilitate the transfer of said competences effectively and efficiently to the workplace, thus influencing the quality of health systems and the health of people at the transnational level. This project will involve a sample of students from different degrees in the area of health sciences, both undergraduate and postgraduate, as well as a sample of health professionals with clinical and academic profiles. The design is divided into 4 phases: (1) Diagnostic analysis of the situation and framework of similar experiences, (2) Development of resources and the digital tool HEALTHCOMM SIMULATOR, (3) Testing and analysis of the results and (4) assessment and dissemination of the results. The incorporation of this methodology based on a virtual healthcare environment tool means maximizing access efficiency, costs and learning outcomes, facilitating its implementation from an autonomous and flexible perspective, overcoming physical and temporal barriers. Having this new digital learning resource will make it possible to enhance the transversal competences included in the training curriculum of health professionals from a dynamic and creative framework, assuming a completely innovative approach that provides a digital tool for open use, scalable and expandable to more areas and contents. In addition to this, the development of HEALTHCOMM SIMULATOR, due to its specific characteristics, facilitates the achievement of transferable learning results to the healthcare system. The acquisition of transversal skills in communication skills has been shown to be a key factor in improving the perceived health of patients, improving adherence to treatment, perceived satisfaction in healthcare processes, and therefore, overall, health quality. The inclusion of this tool in the learning of Health Sciences students in the current study plans also enables training that is closer and more faithful to the real world through interactive, reflective and ICT-driven learning, making to the most competent graduates in these skills and more competitive in the workplace.
Con this project, we aimed to develop and evaluate a virtual simulation tool that would specifically train communication competencies with users, thus achieving continuous improvement among healthcare professionals and the quality of care received by users. The specific objectives were as follows: SO1: Develop a digital tool designed for undergraduate and postgraduate training to enhance and improve basic strategies of clinical healthcare communication. SO2: Establish a harmonized pool of valid and reliable items to assess the quality and effectiveness of the developed virtual tool. SO3: Analyze the functioning of the virtual healthcare simulation environment. SO4: Identify best practices in training for user communication.
Communication in the healthcare field is a key factor in the quality of patient care. However, communication skills are often undertrained, not being a primary focus in education. To acquire these skills, specific and regular training is necessary through effective methodologies, such as simulation. In parallel, virtual patients are receiving significant attention as powerful training tools for various healthcare skills. The use of virtual tools offers multiple advantages compared to in-person simulation, as it requires fewer resources once developed, is not limited by time or location, allows for repeated use at no cost, and provides a less anxiety-inducing environment for participants. Nevertheless, virtual tools are still in the process of development, with none currently integrating the use of real individuals, including natural language oral conversation in training, and utilizing artificial intelligence as a technology capable of detecting, encoding, and responding to complex communication structures that need to be trained.