Developing Simulated and Virtual Patients in Psychological Assessment - Method, Insights and Recommendations.

The phenomena of the simulated (SP) and virtual patient (VP) is widely described in the literature. Although it is difficult to find any practical information on developing these methods for teaching psychological assessment. Having conducted a long-term research project regarding this topic, we report the experience gained and retrospectively identify many mistakes. In this article, we present a summary of creating and using both SP and VP methods in clinical psychology and propose some insights and tips for their development, based on our experiences. While the project concerned clinical psychology, we believe the reflections might be applicable to a wider group of educational situations in which students develop competencies to carry out a diagnostic process with a real patient.

Affect and Cognitive Closure in Students-A Step to Personalised Education of Clinical Assessment in Psychology with the Use of Simulated and Virtual Patients.

INTRODUCTION: Since there was no general model of competencies to determine a successful clinical assessment, we based our study on the many skills that are needed to perform one. We analysed students' learning performance based on inner determinants, such as affect and cognitive closure, with the use of two teaching methods (i.e., simulated patient (SP) or virtual patient (VP)). METHODS: The sample comprised 56 fifth-year clinical psychology students. The need for closure (NFC) and efficacy in fulfilling the need for closure (EFNC) were measured using standardised questionnaires. The authors' VP and SP tools were used to teach and measure the effectiveness of learning psychological interview techniques and clinical reasoning. Clinical interview skills included building contact with the patient, gathering important information and making mistakes. Clinical reasoning skills were divided into eight dimensions for the assessment of mental health. RESULTS: Affect and cognitive closure are important psychological variables in anticipating and developing interview and clinical reasoning skills for psychology students. The simulated patient was more effective for interview skills, while the virtual patient was a beneficial teaching tool for most clinical reasoning skills. Virtual patient training was a useful teaching method for students with a low EFNC, probably because it provided a stable and strong structure. Simulated patient training was effective for people with a high EFNC, presumably because it allowed them to build on their advanced structuring skills. CONCLUSIONS: Affect and cognitive closure can be used to identify students' learning abilities to provide a more personalised education. The results of the present study may be useful for evaluating different teaching methods, monitoring their effectiveness and enhancing students' performance.

Molecular Mechanisms Leading from Periodontal Disease to Cancer.

Periodontitis is prevalent in half of the adult population and raises critical health concerns as it has been recently associated with an increased risk of cancer. While information about the topic remains somewhat scarce, a deeper understanding of the underlying mechanistic pathways promoting neoplasia in periodontitis patients is of fundamental importance. This manuscript presents the literature as well as a panel of tables and figures on the molecular mechanisms of Porphyromonas gingivalis and Fusobacterium nucleatum, two main oral pathogens in periodontitis pathology, involved in instigating tumorigenesis. We also present evidence for potential links between the RANKL-RANK signaling axis as well as circulating cytokines/leukocytes and carcinogenesis. Due to the nonconclusive data associating periodontitis and cancer reported in the case and cohort studies, we examine clinical trials relevant to the topic and summarize their outcome.

Availability of psychological support for medical students in Poland.

OBJECTIVES: Medical students suffer from a considerable level of stress, which can result in the deterioration of their mental health, including depression or suicidal ideation. They are afraid to seek help due to stigmatization and environmental ostracism. The goal of the study is to analyze the psychological support and stress management programs for students supported by medical schools in Poland. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The authors sent out e-mails with 9 questions regarding the issue being analyzed to all 19 medical schools in Poland. They obtained answers from 15 such schools, which corresponds to a response rate of 79%. The study was conducted in 2018-2019, before the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. RESULTS: Due to the lack of central regulations, support is provided by medical schools individually. Those solutions focus on short-term, temporary therapy. If a longer therapy is needed, students are redirected to external health providers. Moreover, information about the support is not transferred by student-friendly communication channels. CONCLUSIONS: Support should be flexible, and it should quickly adapt to the emerging trends and consider students' feedback. A future model of psychological support could be a center organized as a transfer point between a university problem-solving facility and external health providers, concentrating on short-term activity. Quick support would eliminate potential complications and more serious mental problems. Int J Occup Med Environ Health. 2021;34(1):87-99.

Psychological characteristics of students in learning clinical interview skills with the use of virtual patient.

BACKGROUND: The goal of this exploratory study is to analyse which psychological characteristics of students are related to the effectiveness of learning clinical interview skills with the use of a virtual patient (VP). METHODS: The sample consisted of 29 final-year clinical psychology students. The authors' VP tool was used for measuring and teaching clinical interview skills: building contact with the patient, gathering important information, and identifying the students' mistakes. Psychological questionnaires were used to measure the students' psychological features: need for cognitive closure, ability to achieve cognitive structure, beliefs in the changeability of human traits, level of hope, intelligence, positive vs negative affect, and academic knowledge. RESULTS: The most important aspect of the diagnostician's psychological features which substantially influence effectiveness of learning interview skills is belief in the stability or changeability of human traits and the need to achieve cognitive closure. Participants who have a belief in human changeability are able to perform the task correctly even without training, while those who believe in human stability improve only slightly with training. Students with lower need of cognitive closure successfully learned to build a good relation with the patient. CONCLUSIONS: The study allows a better understanding of the phenomena occurring during the learning of clinical interview skills with the use of a VP.