Evaluating a Script -Based Approach for Simulating Patient.pdfVIP

Page 3 of 9 Western Multiconference 2005 Evaluating a Script-Based Approach for Simulating Patient-Doctor Interaction R. Dickerson, K. Johnsen, A. Raij, B. Lok J. Hernandez, A. Stevens Computer and Information Science and Engineering Dept. VA Hospitals University of Florida University of Florida Keywords: Virtual Characters, Natural Language responses are based on a set script for a given condition. Processing, Human-Computer Interaction. Over 94 medical schools in the US and Canada have integrated SP’s into their curriculum. Educators agree that I. INTRODUCTION good diagnostic skills can come only through repeated exposure to (initially) SP’s and (eventually) real patients. Good communication between a patient and a doctor has long been accepted as essential for quality health care. Today, “actor training and availability, reproducibility, “Good patient-clinician communication leads to better changing evaluation criteria, and implementation cost” have clinical outcomes and more satisfied patients. Poor spurred research into using virtual SP’s as an alternative to communication leads