”It Feels Like Being a Real Doctor:” The Virtual Family Approach in Medical Education
The majority of health outcomes are determined by social determinants of health (SDOH) while medical care is responsible for as little as 20% of health outcomes. This article is an introduction to the Virtual Family (VF) approach to case based instruction; a novel strategy for addressing SDOH in me...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
F1000 Research Ltd
2017-10-01
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| Series: | MedEdPublish |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mededpublish.org/Manuscripts/1280 |
| _version_ | 1828896098946646016 |
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| author | Don Robison Senthil Rajasekaran Norman Berman Lisa Auerbach David Henderson Suzanne Rose Lauren Mazzurco Christine Matson |
| author_facet | Don Robison Senthil Rajasekaran Norman Berman Lisa Auerbach David Henderson Suzanne Rose Lauren Mazzurco Christine Matson |
| author_sort | Don Robison |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The majority of health outcomes are determined by social determinants of health (SDOH) while medical care is responsible for as little as 20% of health outcomes. This article is an introduction to the Virtual Family (VF) approach to case based instruction; a novel strategy for addressing SDOH in medical school. The VF theoretical framework is presented and practical considerations and challenges for implementation of the VF approach at three different medical schools are offered. VFs are defined as representations of families or social groups that are not real. "Virtual," in this instance, refers to people or things that do not physically exist. The VF approach allows students and educators to adjust the "lens" of a case's focus to view the relevant determinants. The VF approach is presented as an extension of the virtual patient approach. Theoretical support for the VF approach is argued drawing on principles from modeling and simulation, effective story design, establishing a sense of human presence, serious gaming, visual design, identity leveraging, and flow theory. Challenges and benefits of the approach are described. Measures of efficacy designed to match learning goals are proposed. The VF approach is presented as practical, accessible, economical, and potentially powerful. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-13T14:38:56Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-73235ac251ad4be0bbacbd898c87474c |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2312-7996 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-13T14:38:56Z |
| publishDate | 2017-10-01 |
| publisher | F1000 Research Ltd |
| record_format | Article |
| series | MedEdPublish |
| spelling | doaj.art-73235ac251ad4be0bbacbd898c87474c2022-12-21T23:41:40ZengF1000 Research LtdMedEdPublish2312-79962017-10-0164”It Feels Like Being a Real Doctor:” The Virtual Family Approach in Medical EducationDon Robison0Senthil Rajasekaran1Norman Berman2Lisa Auerbach3David Henderson4Suzanne Rose5Lauren Mazzurco6Christine Matson7Eastern Virginia Medical SchoolEastern Virginia Medical SchoolDartmouth UniversityCity College of New YorkUniversity of Connecticut School of MedicineUniversity of Connecticut School of MedicineEastern Virginia Medical SchoolEastern Virginia Medical SchoolThe majority of health outcomes are determined by social determinants of health (SDOH) while medical care is responsible for as little as 20% of health outcomes. This article is an introduction to the Virtual Family (VF) approach to case based instruction; a novel strategy for addressing SDOH in medical school. The VF theoretical framework is presented and practical considerations and challenges for implementation of the VF approach at three different medical schools are offered. VFs are defined as representations of families or social groups that are not real. "Virtual," in this instance, refers to people or things that do not physically exist. The VF approach allows students and educators to adjust the "lens" of a case's focus to view the relevant determinants. The VF approach is presented as an extension of the virtual patient approach. Theoretical support for the VF approach is argued drawing on principles from modeling and simulation, effective story design, establishing a sense of human presence, serious gaming, visual design, identity leveraging, and flow theory. Challenges and benefits of the approach are described. Measures of efficacy designed to match learning goals are proposed. The VF approach is presented as practical, accessible, economical, and potentially powerful.https://www.mededpublish.org/Manuscripts/1280virtual familycase-based learninglongitudinal virtual familysocial determinants of healthcontext of health |
| spellingShingle | Don Robison Senthil Rajasekaran Norman Berman Lisa Auerbach David Henderson Suzanne Rose Lauren Mazzurco Christine Matson ”It Feels Like Being a Real Doctor:” The Virtual Family Approach in Medical Education MedEdPublish virtual family case-based learning longitudinal virtual family social determinants of health context of health |
| title | ”It Feels Like Being a Real Doctor:” The Virtual Family Approach in Medical Education |
| title_full | ”It Feels Like Being a Real Doctor:” The Virtual Family Approach in Medical Education |
| title_fullStr | ”It Feels Like Being a Real Doctor:” The Virtual Family Approach in Medical Education |
| title_full_unstemmed | ”It Feels Like Being a Real Doctor:” The Virtual Family Approach in Medical Education |
| title_short | ”It Feels Like Being a Real Doctor:” The Virtual Family Approach in Medical Education |
| title_sort | it feels like being a real doctor the virtual family approach in medical education |
| topic | virtual family case-based learning longitudinal virtual family social determinants of health context of health |
| url | https://www.mededpublish.org/Manuscripts/1280 |
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