Virtual Reality Intervention Increased Empathy for Patients With MG

An intervention that featured an immersive virtual reality (VR) intervention, one with a patient-centric design, was able to improve the empathy and knowledge of health care providers (HCPs) who were treating patients with myasthenia gravis (MG), according to a study published in Frontiers in Neurology.1 These results indicate that VR may be a valuable tool in medical education and shared decision-making (SDM).

Muscle weakness and fatigue are the primary characteristics associated with MG, which is a rare neuromuscular disease. The condition primarily affects muscles in the face, eyes, neck, arms, and legs.2 Previous studies have shown that patients feel a disconnect between themselves and their HCP, which can be a major detriment in SDM when it comes to determining the course of action to target care for MG. The researchers of this study aimed to design an immersive VR experience to improve communication between HCPs and patients in the ENGAGE program. This analysis reported on the efficacy of this program in improving the knowledge and empathy of MG in HCPs.

Virtual reality program increased empathy for patients with myasthenia gravis | Image credit: nuclear_lily - stock.adobe.com

The ENGAGE program featured phases of defining the educational content, the VR intervention, and the evaluation of outcomes. The design process was conducted through a steering committee of 4 people living with MG. The module included 3 scenarios in the daily life of a young woman with undiagnosed MG. The 3 scenarios took place at home, at work, and at a physician’s office. The VR workshops were conducted in Denmark, Germany, the United Kingdom, and the US, with 12 workshops conducted across hospitals. No inclusion or exclusion criteria were implemented, with all HCPs eligible to participate.

Outcome evaluation questionnaires were given to all HCPs, who also completed a needs assessment; patients only completed the needs assessment. Changes in HCPs’ knowledge and attitudes were measured using the outcome evaluation questionnaire. Semistructured interviews were conducted to complete these questionnaires.

A total of 47 HCPs and 122 patients completed the needs assessment survey, and 60 HCPs participated in the outcome evaluation survey after the VR experience. All responses with incomplete answers were removed, which left 45 HCPs for the needs assessment and 55 for the outcome evaluation; 50.9% of those who completed the outcome evaluation were neurologists or neuromuscular specialists.

HCPs had a mean (SD) rating of 4.44 out of 5.00 for their overall experience of the learning activity, with 5 being excellent. There were no HCPs who rated the experience as less than 3. Content relevance had a mean rating of 4.49 (0.74), where the lowest score was 2. A total of 29 of the 60 HCPs reported having a better understanding of the symptoms of MG, and 37 reported having increased empathy toward patients with MG; 46 reported having a better understanding of the impact of MG on the everyday lives of patients with MG.

HCPs reported that they committed to changing their practice after this activity: 41 wanted to develop a better understanding of the impact of illness on their patients, 31 wanted to improve their knowledge of what matters to patients, 28 wanted to show more empathy, and 27 wanted to develop listening skills.

A multiple regression analysis indicated that the “beliefs about capabilities” variable was the most important predictor of SDM. A total of 23.7% of the variance in SDM in the pre-intervention period and 44.6% of the variance in SDM in the post-intervention period was linked to the “beliefs about capabilities.” This association was stronger after the intervention than before.

There were some limitations to this study. Paired analysis was not possible due to the participant data being deidentified. Causal inferences were limited because changes could not be attributed to the same respondents. The measurements were subjective and taken right after the activity, which does not account for the objective changes made, if any. Broader use of the VR program could be limited due to costs and hardware availability.

The authors concluded that the immersive VR intervention was successful, able to increase empathy, knowledge, and attitudes in HCPs, citing the involvement of patients in the development of the program as particularly successful.

“Patient involvement should become an integral part of the design process of patient-centric programs, complemented by the inclusion of the patient voice. This educational project may serve as a model for future VR-based programs, encouraging further research on motivations, opportunities, and barriers in patient–HCP interaction and assessing impact on behavioral change in MG and other diseases,” they wrote.

References

1. Weisshardt I, Reyes Acosta C, Chauhan T, et al. ENGAGE: analyzing the value of virtual reality in a patient-centric immersive learning program in myasthenia gravis for healthcare professionals. Front Neurol. 2026;16:1655351. doi:10.3389/fneur.2025.1655351
2. Myasthenia gravis. Cleveland Clinic. Updated November 10, 2023. Accessed January 30, 2026. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/17252-myasthenia-gravis-mg