Kognito, a provider of simulations featuring virtual humans has launched of a series of four new virtual human experiences available to help users build skills related to physical, emotional and social health.
The simulations were commissioned by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and developed by Kognito using the Kognito Conversation Platform™ with input from experts in motivational interviewing, patient/parent engagement, medical education and child development.
This series of conversation experiences was created to understand the impact of simulated role-play conversations, featuring virtual humans, in managing conversations that make a difference in primary care and family settings.
The four virtual human simulations are:
– Primary Care Office Visit: Antibiotics: simulation takes place during an office visit between a physician and a patient who has been coughing for a week and strongly believes that antibiotics are the only solution to help her get better. The simulation has two versions and allows the user to play the role of the physician or the patient. Users also get advice from Dr. Martin Blaser, one of the TIME 100 Most Influential People and the Chair of the President’s Advisory Council on Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria (CARB).
– Building Family Bonds: A Virtual Home Visit: simulation takes place during a home visit between a family support provider and a single mom and her 3-year old son. The simulation allows the user to play the provider and coach the mom on why and how to read with her son.
– Calm Parents, Healthy Kids: simulation is for parents with children aged 2 to 5 years old. The simulation allows the user to play a parent and learn about managing a child’s behavior during stressful situations, such as a tantrum in the supermarket or a fight with another child on the playground.
The virtual humans are fully animated, are coded to possess a human personality and adapt their behaviors to the dialogue decisions of the learner. At the conclusion of each simulation, a dashboard provides feedback to the user on their performance.
The simulations were created are now available to public users on a new website, Conversations for Health through its partnership with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Users can also review the summary results of two preliminary pilot research studies of the simulated conversations, one conducted by the NYU School of Medicine and one at New Jersey Family Connections
“ When we take the view of individual and population health, the roles of conversation, human intervention and technology are inexorably intertwined. Healthcare organizations can look to use Kognito’s research proven approach to behavior change featuring virtual human technology to move the needle on adherence, patient engagement, professional communication and coaching, treatment decisions and choices ——really, wherever there is an opportunity to activate, motivate others or yourself, to develop a new skill or change an attitude,” said Lois Drapin, MPS-HSA, Kognito’s SVP, New Health Markets in a statement.
