Kognito on PCMag.com
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Healthcare professionals speaking to patients about sensitive medical situations have to be knowledgeable and reassuring; they also have to be able to communicate properly. “As with many sensitive interactions, how someone says something is just as important as what they are saying,” Goldman said. “Considering gestures, non-verbal cues, and mannerisms all weigh heavily in these interactions.”
Kognito’s various simulations help train users by simulating conversations and varied responses. In the Primary Care Office Visit: Antibiotics simulation, participants are trained on effectively discussing the appropriate use of antibiotics between healthcare providers and patients. The simulation (see image above) provides hands-on practice applying motivational interviewing to improve patient outcomes. “Users choose between playing the provider or patient in the clinical case,” Goldman explained. The simulation is publicly available and funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
The Primary Care Office Visit: Antibiotics simulation lets participants take the role of a coughing patient or the doctor. Each question brings the conversation to another step in learning about symptoms as well as whether antibiotics can help based on the patient’s symptoms. Aside from the conversation between the virtual avatars, a coach widget at the bottom offers useful tips and hints. Running through the role-play simulation as a patient and as a doctor will help train healthcare professionals to better understand topics from both sides.
“The more we can mimic real life in our sims, then the better the experience will be,” Goldman said. Looking at technology that can help Kognito create more immersive experiences for their users, he singled out Natural Language Processing (NLP) and augmented reality (AR) as emerging technologies worth looking out for. NLP, which is a sub field of artificial intelligence (AI) is one area that Goldman believes can one day improve training by being able to accurately track voice tone and analyze human emotions. “I think NLP that can understand intonation will be a significant breakthrough, but we’re not there yet,” said Goldman.