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Immersive Experience Shows People the Life, Struggles of a Patient With IBD
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An immersive experience built around a mobile application helped individuals gain more knowledge about inflammatory bowel disease and promoted empathy for patients with Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, according to research published in Frontiers of Psychology.
The program, known as “In Their Shoes,” was developed by Takeda Pharmaceuticals to create a “hyper-real” experience of IBD to help professionals in the health care industry — and others — understand exactly what patients experience daily.
Tina Cartwright, PhD, of the department of psychology at the University of Westminster in the United Kingdom, and colleague evaluated the program in a study of 104 individuals from Takeda sites in 12 countries. They wrote that immersive learning helps participants gain new knowledge by introducing them to common patient situations with which they might not be familiar.
“The learner may undertake the task as themselves or may become someone else, ‘walking in the shoes’ of another person experiencing a dierent point of view,” they wrote. “Interventions aim to increase understanding of patienthood, the impact of living with a chronic or acute illness and to enhance empathy.”
During a 36-hour period, the “In Their Shows” app sent participants up to 70 text messages that contain information, instructions and timed challenges that need to be completed and verified with a reply text or photo. Participants assumed a patient profile and were required to follow live role play that matched the life a of typical patient with IBD.
In the study, 74 individuals completed measures — including Toronto Empathy Questionnaire, prosocial job characteristics scale and structured questions about IBD understanding and connection to patients — both before and after they completed the immersion program. Researchers also conducted two focus groups comprising 14 participants to glean more insight about the overall experience of the program.
Investigators found that participants experienced a significant increase in IBD understanding, as well as connection to patients (P < .00025).
One participant from the United States called the experience “eye opening.”
“This disease, and many others, proved to be very disruptive and I have an understanding on how IBD not only causes discomfort and pain but also the tremendous psychological and emotional impact it can have on patients and their loved ones,” they said, according to the study.
The program also helped increase empathy toward patients, with one participant in the U.K. reporting that it helped shed a light on what patients must go through.
“I come away with a huge amount of respect for those people that manage their IBD so successfully and feel I am closer to being able to empathize with the patient population,” they said.
With the results of the study, Takeda plans to expand access to the program, introducing it to more health care professionals, as well as patients and others, to increase public awareness, reduce the stigma of the disease and improve patient access to support.
“The physical and emotional challenges undertaken during the In Their Shoes program forged a strong connection to the reality of living with IBD,” Cartwright said in a press release. “The results build on previous research which demonstrates the value of taking on the experiences of a patient for improving relationships between healthcare professionals and patients, increasing patient satisfaction and adherence, and improving general health outcomes.”
– by Alex Young
Disclosures: Cartwright reports no relevant financial disclosures. Halton reports previous employment as a consultant during the development of In Their Shoes training intervention. The independent evaluation study was supported by Takeda.
Editor's note: The article was edited on Nov. 21, 2017, to include an additional quote from Cartwright.
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