The Virtual Patient for Education and Training: A Critical Review of the Literature

Abstract

Abstract Nowadays, virtual patients are becoming increasingly essential for high-quality medical education since there are not enough actual patients available for educational and training purposes. However, development and curricular integration of virtual patients is challenging and time consuming. This review gives an overview on relevant aspects of development and usage of virtual patients and shows the current state of development. The included information is sourced from relevant literature of the last 15 years and the longstanding experience of the authors in the relevant fields.