Effectiveness of virtual patients in teaching clinical decision-making skills to dental students

Objectives The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of virtual patient-based training on the clinical decision-making ability of dental students. Methods This quasi-experimental study with pretest and posttest design was conducted on 76 (2015 admitted) dental students of Shiraz Dental School in 2018-2019. The study samples were randomly divided into 2 groups: intervention (web-based virtual patient training = 36) and control (face-to-face case-based training, n = 40). The data collection tools in this study included a questionnaire consisting of 2 sections: demographic information and procedural knowledge. The key-feature test was used to measure procedural knowledge and problem-solving ability in students. Content validity was confirmed by 7 faculty members. Statistical analysis was carried out using SPSS Statistics version 23.0. Descriptive statistics were used to describe the samples, Independent-t test was used to compare the scores between the 2 groups, and repeated measures ANOVA was used to assess the effect of time on the training provided. P The mean clinical-decision-making score in the intervention group (11.3 +/- 88.88) was more than the control group (8.2 +/- 45.54) in Posttest 1 (1 week after intervention), and the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.001). Besides, the scores in the control group (8.2 +/- 45.54) rose more significantly than the intervention group (11.3 +/- 0.86) in Posttest 2 (1 month after intervention) (P < 0.001). Conclusion The results of the present research showed that application of virtual patient (VP)-based training can improve learning and clinical decision-making ability of dental students. Moreover, group discussions in physical classrooms should be held alongside VP programs in order to ensure the maximum retention of the topics learned.