12 May This virtual woman is very sick. Talking to her could make doctors more empathetic

Giving a patient bad news can be uncomfortable, but med student Katie Goldrath had no choice

By James Gaines, Upworthy

Nobody likes to deliver bad news, but this was important. The patient, a young woman named Robin, had come in because she kept getting nosebleeds — and Goldrath had just learned the reason behind it was leukemia.

Goldrath knew Robin needed to get into treatment as soon as possible. She also knew if their conversation went poorly, Robin might get angry or even storm out, delaying her treatment … and possibly endangering her life.

Luckily, if things spiraled out of control, Goldrath could always hit the redo button. That’s because Robin wasn’t a real person. Robin was part of a computer program called MPathic-VR, designed to help young doctors learn to communicate with their patients. Read more …