When is the Appropriate|Best|Correct|The Fitting|The Precise|The Proper|The Appropriate|The Appropriate|The Appropriate|The Appropriate|The Appropriate|The Appropriate|The Appropriate|The Appropriate|The Appropriate|The Appropriate|The Appropriate|The Appropriate|The Appropriate|The Appropriate|The Appropriate|The Appropriate|The Appropriate|The Appropriate|The Appropriate|The Appropriate|The Appropriate|The Appropriate|The Appropriate|The Appropriate|The Appropriate|The Appropriate|The Appropriate|The Appropriate|The Appropriate|The Appropriate|The Appropriate|The Appropriate


Background
Virtual reality technology describes the use of headsets displaying a particular environment to simulate a user’s physical existence in a virtual or imaginary setting. Avatars (virtual characters with whom the user interacts) can be programmed to express emotions, for example, by blushing or crying. Headsets are sometimes combined with other sensory inputs, such as haptic feedback, smells, and changing temperatures. These high-fidelity avatars provide the user a greater sense of reality and facilitate meaningful interaction (2).


The field of virtual reality first came to light decades ago; however, recent advances in technology have made it the exciting and emerging field it is today. Its applications are vast, ranging from military training to gaming. In medicine, the technology has been trialed for uses such as cognitive rehabilitation post-stroke (3), improving reaction times in children with cerebral palsy (4) and in aiding the diagnosis of psychiatric conditions (5).


This paper sets out the viewpoint that virtual reality technology could be a new focus of direction in the development of training tools for medical education. Responses of the avatar were pre-programmed, with a researcher selecting the most appropriate quote depending on what the participant said. The dilemma of tenacious calls for antibiotics by patients is a common yet difficult scenario due to the great threat posed by growing antimicrobial resistance worldwide. In essence, the doctor’s main goal was to try to resist calls for unnecessary antibiotics. Participants were required to interact with two avatars: an elderly woman, the patient, and her daughter, who was requesting antibiotics for her mother’s likely viral infection. We concentrate on its use in improving the communication skills of clinicians and medical students. We refer extensively to Pan et al.