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Welcome

Welcome to the Virtual Interactive Case (VIC) system for creating simulations of encounters with patients in clinics. VIC cases are clinical reasoning exercises with feedback. Their role is to provide a bridge between theory and seeing patients in clinic (or ER), providing students with what Ericsson has called "deliberate practice" as a way of gaining clinical expertise. The strength of VIC is that it is optimized for rapidly creating a large number of cases, by using a patient template, and creating variations of cases with different differential diagnoses for the same presenting complaint.

VIC Player iPad app coming soon!

The VIC Player is now working on an iPad, and we are in the process of modifying it to make it "iPad friendly". After thorough testing, it will be available on iTunes for free download.

Diagnostic problems

Virtual interactive cases are diagnostic problems in which a user can gather the information needed to determine the correct diagnosis by conducting all the investigations they would normally carry out in the clinic (history taking, physical exam, etc.) to rule in or rule out the diagnosis.

Debriefing

Feedback is provided at the end of the case in a debriefing listing the actions they took that were essential, the essential actions they missed, the actions that were inappropriate, and actions that were taken in an incorrect order. A score is also provided reflecting their success in this exercise, along with the time and cost incurred in arriving at the diagnosis.

Case development

The VIC system is designed to facilitate rapid case development. Case development begins with template of all the investigations that can be carried out, with the results for a normal person with no clinical problem. Cases can then be created by substituting abnormal findings at appropriate places in the template, and adding feedback for the debriefing for these actions.