Co-designing digital scenario-based simulation to support students’ skills training based on a biopsychosocial approach: Using Kolb’s experiential learning theoryShow others and affiliations
2025 (English)Conference paper, Oral presentation with published abstract (Other academic)
Abstract [en]
Background: The use of digital technology in higher education can enhance students’ motivation, knowledge and skills. In medical and nursing education, digital scenario-based simulation is an evidence-based way to improve skills and knowledge. In physiotherapy, a biopsychosocial and person-centred approach is recommended to support self-management and promote health-related behaviour changes in patients. Using Experiential Learning Theory (ELT) in developing simulation tools can support students’ learning and confidence. The aim of this study was to explore content and features desired by stakeholders for the development of a digital scenario-based simulation prototype to stimulate physiotherapy students’ learning of clinical skills.Summary of work: Four co-design workshops with 5-10 participants, including two physiotherapy students, one newly graduated physiotherapist, four educators, four clinical instructors and one representative from an educational company, were conducted. The participants discussed and presented ideas for the desired content and features of the digital scenario-based simulation. ELT and Kolb’s learning cycle were used to encourage discussion and idea presentation and in the analysis.Summary of results: The preliminary results highlight desired key content and features: interactive reality-based patient cases with video and audio recordings to create realistic experiences; individual and peer reflection through reflective questions and self-recording videos; varied examples of formulated analysis, hypotheses, SMART goals and interpretation of patient information with encouragement to formulate these independently; support for making choices, prioritizing and decision-making, with opportunities to follow up on decisions and evaluate outcomes. Participants emphasized the importance of contextual pedagogical elements providing constructive feedback, flexibility to individual needs, and user-friendly, engaging design with gamification features.Discussion and Conclusion: Overall, the participants desired content and features that align with simulations in medical and nursing education. However, what uniquely distinguished the desired content and features for physiotherapy was the emphasis on supporting learning a holistic and person-centered approach, including setting individual goals and creating personalized treatment plans. The importance of long-term patient follow-up and outcome evaluation was also highlighted. Given that digital scenario-based simulation is relatively unexplored in physiotherapy, these findings are particularly significant. These insights may also be relevant for other health professions to adopt a holistic and person-centered approach.
Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
2025.
Keywords [en]
physiotherapy, clinical reasoning, virtual patients, behavior change, health professions education
National Category
Physiotherapy
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:mdh:diva-73502DOI: 10.21955/mep.1115753.1OAI: oai:DiVA.org:mdh-73502DiVA, id: diva2:2001962
Conference
AMEE 2025 Conference, Barcelona, Spain, 23-28 August, 2025
2025-09-292025-09-292026-04-01Bibliographically approved