Virtuální pacient ve výuce klinické farmakologie – naše zkušenosti
| Title in English | Virtual patient in clinical pharmacology education - lessons learned |
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| Authors | |
| Year of publication | 2025 |
| Type | Conference abstract |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Description | Introduction: Virtual patients offer many advantages in teaching clinical pharmacology. They simulate real clinical situations, allow students to apply theoretical knowledge, to work with guidelines and to personalize therapy according to patient's characteristics, including (patho)physiological, social and economic aspects. Virtual patients also promote inclusion and diversity by exposing students to a wide range of patient profiles. They also allow students to experience the role of a prescribing physician in a safe environment. Aim: The aim of this presentation is to illustrate our experience with creating virtual patients for team-based learning sessions in clinical pharmacology. Methods: Our literature search showed that there is a lack of specific methodology for creating virtual patients in the field of clinical pharmacology - available materials offer only general recommendations. The absence of specific recommendations motivated us to design/modify the virtual patient design to meet specific learning objectives in clinical pharmacology. RESULTS: We present several practical examples of virtual patients used in the teaching of clinical pharmacology at FM MU that meet the defined requirements. The virtual patient should be designed to look realistic and credible and to engage students. We have found it useful to use a real clinical case or a combination of them. An equally important step before using the virtual patient in class is its final review by a clinician. We also provide examples of prescribing assignments that guide students to seek and critically evaluate information, work with guidelines, and personalize their therapeutic approach. Based on student feedback, Virtual Patients receives the highest rating of all educational materials in terms of usefulness. Conclusion: Virtual patients are a well applicable concept in clinical pharmacology education. When designing them, it is crucial to consider the specific learning objectives and skills to be developed. The ideal starting point is a real patient, but it is the virtual nature of patients that allows different approaches and aspects to be combined to effectively develop therapeutic decision making. Supported by ERASMUS+ CP4T (2022-1-NL01-KA220-HED-000088069) and by the state budget through MEYS, LRI CZECRIN (LM2023049). |
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