VITaLS: Visual Thinking and Learning Strategies: Enhancing Health Professions Education through Virtual Reality Enabled Art Museum Experiences

Health professions schools are recognizing the important role of visual arts experiences in healthcare education to improve clinical practice1 as it can provide insight into the human condition and suffering, and develop skills of observation, analysis, empathy, and self-reflection. The use of Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS) to strengthen these essential skills was pioneered by Harvard Medical School in 2004.2 Research findings examining the outcomes of VTS methodology have demonstrated its effectiveness in improving visual diagnostic skills,3,4,5 promoting active listening and analytical thinking,6 broadening empathetic understanding of patient experiences,7 and improving critical thinking and problem solving.8,9 Since 2009 the Lowe Art Museum (LAM), at the University of Miami (UM), in partnership with the schools of medicine and nursing, has used VTS in its programs where students work in interprofessional (IP) groups participating in discussions about art. They have been shown to increase time spent analyzing clinical images and discerning clinically relevant observations.10 Since they are typically conducted in museum galleries access to this training is limited by proximity to museums. Furthermore, most programs offer one or two sessions and the opportunity to practice and develop expertise is limited. We are developing a Virtual Reality (VR) platform to expand access to training using the VTS methodology for students regardless of proximity to museum resources. VR provides immersive, interactive, highly focused learning experiences in safe environments, free from other distractions, and enables access to education from any geographic location. In addition, several studies have shown that learning retention is significantly higher in VR.23,24,25 Our hypothesis is that VTS discussions in VR will result in measurable increases in tolerance of ambiguity, communication skills, and readiness for interprofessional learning. We are developing a prototype VITaLS museum gallery in VR to test the efficacy and scaling potential of teaching VTS in VR. Over a 3 month period 45 students in 5 IP groups (each comprised of medical, nursing, and physical therapy students) will participate in 3 VTS sessions in our gallery. They will receive 3 pre- and post-test validated surveys: Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale (RIPLS), Tolerance for Ambiguity scale, and Communication Skills Assessment Scale and one survey about their experience of learning in VR. AIMS: Aim #1: to upgrade and customize our VR gallery and conduct the VR sessions; Aim #2: to survey students about their experience and analyze the results; Aim #3: to survey participants on their experience of learning in the VITaLS immersive virtual environment to ensure their perspective informs future development. By the end of Phase 1 the data obtained from the surveys will be analyzed to assess the viability of this training in VR. In Phase II we will expand our research to test our hypothesis by including schools that have never used VTS or VR and conduct qualitative analysis of all Phase 1 and Phase II data to inform the development of a scalable Minimum Viable Product. VITaLS can capitalize on the predicted exponential growth of the VR Healthcare Market to provide a unique solution for improving vital communications, empathy, critical thinking and visual diagnostic skills among IP groups of health professional students.