Reflecting US Diversity Through Shadow Health’s® Virtual Patient Population

Reflecting US Diversity Through Shadow Health’s® Virtual Patient Population

Shadow Health has a variety of simulated characters called Digital Standardized Patients™ that nursing students can use to practice clinical skills. These characters help students learn from basic to advanced nursing skills. One special thing about Shadow Health is its natural language Conversation Engine. This feature lets students have real conversations with patients from various backgrounds. These are backgrounds that students might not see in their real clinical experiences.

It’s important for students to talk and interact with patients in a respectful and accurate way. Many people work together to create these simulation characters. This team includes nurse educators, developers, artists, sound designers, and more. They focus on making sure that the virtual patients feel like real people. These characters have rich stories and backgrounds, and they even blink and breathe.

Shadow Health also works with experts and groups outside their team to make sure the diverse patients are shown respectfully. This helps students practice talking to patients from different backgrounds and cultures. These virtual patients let students practice talking, showing empathy, and understanding patients’ needs along with their social and health factors.

Here are some examples of diverse patients in Shadow Health that help students practice good communication.

Anita Douglas Conditions of the Hematologic System Differential Selection
Anita Douglas

Anita is a 72-year-old Black woman. She appears in different nursing cases for students. For instance, she appears in cases about pharmacology and diagnostics. In one case, Anita is feeling tired and weak. Her symptoms have been ignored because of her age. When dealing with older patients like Anita, students should be careful not to treat them differently because of their age. Older patients can sometimes get less attention, and this can affect their care. Students need to avoid this.

Zachary LaFontaine Shadow health Treatment Plan

Daanis LaFontaine

Daanis is 18 years old and a member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians. This Ojibwe person is part of cases that were developed with help from a member of the same tribe. The team worked hard to make sure Daanis is represented accurately. Even the name “Daanis” was chosen carefully—it means “daughter” in the Ojibwe language. The character also wears traditional clothes that show their culture.

Fatima Khan

Fatima is a 44-year-old Muslim woman with type 1 diabetes. She’s getting ready for surgery. Her case was created using research and expert advice to make sure it’s accurate. Fatima’s case teaches students about taking care of Muslim patients, including their diet and privacy needs.

Felipe Barbosa Sick Visit Shadow Health Subjective Data Collection

Felipe Barbosa

Felipe is a 48-year-old Brazilian American man. He has a rash and comes to the clinic. This case teaches students about caring for patients from different cultures. It’s important because some people face discrimination because of their culture or who they love.

Mother and Daughter: A Cultural Tale Video

Lupe Sosa

Lupe is a 21-year-old college student who doesn’t identify as just a man or a woman. They use the pronouns they/them. Lupe is part of a mental health case. Students learn to communicate well with Lupe and others like them. This is important because people who don’t fit traditional gender roles often face discrimination in healthcare.

Quan Van Tran

Quan is a 50-year-old Vietnamese American man who recently found out he has HIV. This case teaches students about interacting with Asian American patients who have HIV. It’s important because these patients might face discrimination and need special care.

Tanner Bailey Pain Management shadow health Transcript

Tanner Bailey

Tanner is a 30-year-old transgender man. He’s part of cases that show how trans people might face discrimination in healthcare. Students learn to communicate well and show empathy with Tanner and others like him.

Xavier Daniels

Xavier is a 54-year-old Black man. He’s come to the clinic because he lost his job and now has health insurance. Xavier feels like he was treated badly because of his race by a previous healthcare provider. This case teaches students about building trust with patients, especially those who might have faced discrimination.

Zachary LaFontaine

Zachary is Daanis’s son. Students care for him as a baby and later as a toddler. This case helps students learn about taking care of babies from different backgrounds. It also teaches about healthcare inequities, which are unfair differences in care.

Infant Well Visit Zachary LaFontaine Shadow health Transcript

These virtual patients help nursing students learn how to communicate well with patients from all walks of life. This is important to provide equal care to everyone, no matter their background.