A scoping review on the use of virtual patients for enhancing empathy in medical students.

ABSTRACT: Virtual patients have been increasingly utilized in medical education to develop empathy in a structured and scalable manner. Compared with traditional methods such as clinical practice and standardized patients, virtual patients can offer reproducible, resource-efficient learning experiences. This scoping review maps the research on virtual patient-based interventions designed to foster empathy in medical students. It seeks to identify existing research gaps, including conceptual definitions of empathy, scenario design, instructional strategies, assessment methods, and outcome measures. The Joanna Briggs Institute's scoping review methodology was followed, and the PRISMA-ScR guidelines for reporting were used. A comprehensive search was conducted in PubMed, CINAHL, ERIC, Web of Science, S

SUBMITTER: Yamada R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12777885 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature