Enhancing empathy and understanding: Developing a virtual reality simulation to educate healthcare students on deaf patient experiences

<h2>Abstract</h2><h3>Background</h3> Deaf patients face challenges in healthcare settings, with limited deaf awareness in health professional programs, due to a lack of training. Healthcare professional students lack preparation about how to communicate effectively with deaf people and may not understand or empathize with their experiences in healthcare settings. The aim of the study was to co-design and develop a 360-degree VR simulation, informed by deaf patient experiences, to enhance health professional students' empathy and understanding when working with deaf patients. <h3>Sample</h3> Study sample was comprised of a purposive sample of preregistration healthcare professional students (n = 8) enrolled in an undergraduate degree at one university in Wales, UK. Participants were recruited through email invitation to all students in one School of Health and Social Care. <h3>Methods</h3> A user-centered design approach was used across three phases: gathering feedback from deaf communities on healthcare experiences, design and development of an immersive 360-degree video VR, and evaluating it with health professional students (n = 8), through a pre/post survey and focus group. The survey was analyzed using descriptive statistics and the focus group transcript analyzed using thematic analysis. <h3>Results</h3> Positive feedback from participating students emphasized the benefits of the simulation and its engaging, impactful nature with a focus on lived experience. <h3>Conclusion</h3> Simulation education is an effective tool in preparing students for working with deaf patients and in enhancing empathy.