{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,8]],"date-time":"2026-09-08T05:10:35Z","timestamp":1788844235385,"version":"build-2803163510"},"reference-count":38,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,8]],"date-time":"2026-09-08T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1788825600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Med."],"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Background<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Anesthesiology trainees require repeated opportunities to practice perioperative crisis recognition, decision-making, communication and teamwork, which are central to crisis resource management (CRM) and non-technical skills. High-fidelity simulation supports these competencies but is resource intensive to deliver repeatedly. AI-driven virtual standardized patients (AI-VSPs) may complement simulation and structured debriefing by enabling interactive practice and feedback.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      We conducted a prospective, randomized, three-arm pilot study among 60 students enrolled in a professional master's degree program in anesthesiology at Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University between January and June 2026. Participants were assigned to conventional teaching (group A,\n                      <jats:italic>n<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u2009=\u200920), scenario-based simulation with structured debriefing (group B,\n                      <jats:italic>n<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u2009=\u200920), or the same simulation pathway with AI-VSP training (group C,\n                      <jats:italic>n<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u2009=\u200920); each group received 16\u2005h of teaching. In group C, four 1-hour AI-VSP sessions replaced 4\u2005h of conventional case discussion. The primary outcome was short-term simulated clinical performance measured using a locally developed 100-point competency rubric. Secondary outcomes were theoretical examination, skills examination and teaching satisfaction, with satisfaction interpreted as acceptability rather than effectiveness.\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      All participants completed the study and were analyzed. No statistically significant between-group differences were detected in the reported baseline characteristics. In participant-level post-intervention analyses, total simulated clinical performance was higher in group C than in groups A and B (88.2\u2009\u00b1\u20094.8 vs. 78.0\u2009\u00b1\u20097.7 and 80.4\u2009\u00b1\u20096.5; F(2, 57)\u2009=\u200913.72,\n                      <jats:italic>P<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u2009&amp;lt;\u20090.001, partial\n                      <jats:italic>\u03b7<\/jats:italic>\n                      <jats:sup>2<\/jats:sup>\n                      \u2009=\u20090.325). Bonferroni-adjusted comparisons favored group C for clinical decision-making, communication, total performance, theoretical examination, skills examination and teaching satisfaction.\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusions<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>A time-matched pathway in which AI-VSP practice replaced part of conventional case discussion while simulation and structured debriefing were retained was associated with better short-term performance on aligned anesthesiology crisis tasks. These findings support the feasibility of this approach and suggest potential benefits in selected CRM-relevant domains, but do not establish comprehensive CRM competence, definitive effectiveness or durable transfer to clinical practice. Larger multicenter studies with prespecified analyses, detailed reporting of AI-system characteristics, delayed assessment and workplace-based outcomes are needed.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fmed.2026.1927674","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,8]],"date-time":"2026-09-08T04:26:31Z","timestamp":1788841591000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["AI-driven virtual standardized patients combined with scenario-based simulation in anesthesiology training: a randomized pilot study"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"13","author":[{"given":"Xiaohua","family":"Wang","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Anesthesiology, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University","place":["Wuhan, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Aming","family":"Sang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Anesthesiology, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University","place":["Wuhan, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jing","family":"Zhang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Anesthesiology, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University","place":["Wuhan, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Hexiao","family":"Tang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Thoracic Surgery, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University","place":["Wuhan, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Yujia","family":"Liu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Basic Medical Sciences, Wuhan University","place":["Wuhan, Hubei Province, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Zirui","family":"Zhao","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Basic Medical Sciences, Wuhan University","place":["Wuhan, Hubei Province, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jinping","family":"Liu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University","place":["Wuhan, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ming","family":"Xu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Thoracic Surgery, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University","place":["Wuhan, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Xinyi","family":"Li","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Anesthesiology, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University","place":["Wuhan, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,8]]},"reference":[{"key":"B1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"723","DOI":"10.1016\/j.bja.2025.04.047","article-title":"Multidisciplinary, evidence-based, patient-centred 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