The main objective of the project is to design and implement a curriculum that can be incorporated in healthcare educational programmes aiming at the development of empathetic skills.
But what is Empathy? Empathy is the ability of understanding and feeling what another person is experiencing. It is the ability to place oneself in another’s position and feel what another person is feeling. In the project, the participants will have the opportunity to improve their understanding of the patient’s experiences through the use of VR technology.
VR technology, accompanied by a curriculum aligned with EQF level 5 and level 7, training materials, educational videos, and complete tutor guides will allow the introduction of empathetic communication in the healthcare sector.
The project has four objectives, namely to:
1. Develop two curricula (one for HE and one for VET) and training materials aiming at the development of empathetic skills of healthcare professionals. These will be certified with ISO.
2. Use these curricula to develop high acuity virtual reality scenarios in the area of empathetic communication, which will:
(a) provide a consistent clinical communication experience
(b) enhance students’ confidence in developing new skills by allowing them to practice in a safe environment
(c) allow for students’ feedback on areas of strength and areas that need further improvement
3. Develop VR videos and educational videos (sector specific) contributing to the empathy competence.
4. Support tutors and trainers to integrate VR in their teaching /training through the development of their skills as far as virtual reality is concerned.
Thus, the target groups of the Empathy in Health Care project are students in Higher and Vocational Education as well as the Higher Education Institutes and Vocational Education and Training (VET) providers.