| Case Presentations | Interactive Patient Scenarios | Virtual Patient Game | High Fidelity Software Simulations | Human Standardized Patients | High Fidelity Manikins | Virtual Standardized Patient |
Common Names | Online Virtual Patient | Virtual Patient, Multimedia Sim, Branching Scenario | VR Simulation, Virtual Patient Avatar | Medical Simulation, VR Surgical Simulator | Standardized Patient, Patient Actor | Manikin, Task Trainer | Virtual Human, Conversational Agent |
Teaching Applications | Basic Knowledge, Clinical Reasoning | Clinical Reasoning | Procedures High-risk scenarios Team Training | Complex Procedures Surgeries High-risk scenarios | Patient History Physical Exam Patient Counseling | Procedures, Team Training | Patient History Patient Counseling |
Learner Skills Evaluated | Knowledge, Pattern Recognition | Clinical Reasoning | Clinical Reasoning, Procedural Reasoning Physical Diagnosis | Procedural Skills, Critical Interventions | Interview Skills, Physical Diagnosis | Clinical Protocols, Physical Diagnosis Team Performance, | Interview Skills |
Interactivity | Very Low | Low-Moderate | Moderate-High | High | Very High | Moderate | Very High |
Consistency of Experience & Evaluation | High | High | Moderate | High | Very Low | Low-Moderate | High |
Flexibility to Recover from Learner Errors | None | Low | Moderate | High | HIgh | Moderate | High |
Suitable for Game-based approach? | None | Moderate | High | Moderate | None | Low | High |
Authoring Challenge | Low | Moderate | High | Very High | Low | Moderate | High |
Core Technology | Text, Multimedia | Branching, Multimedia | State-machines, Branching | Physiology Engine, Virtual Reality Tissue, | None | Varies | Dialogue AI, Natural Language |
Enabling Technology | HTML, Authoring Tools | HTML, C, Actionscript, etc., Authoring Tool | Game Engine | Game Engine, Anatomy Database, Haptic Controllers | Written Script, Video Recorder, Human Monitor | Microcontrollers, Sensors & Actuators, Wireless Data | 3D Game Engine, Speech Synthesis, Non-Verbal Behavior, Speech Recognition |