Surgical Multidisciplinary Team Meetings Are Enhanced by Collaboration in the Metaverse.

Motivational interviewing (MI) is a patient-centered communication method that supports patients in addressing unhealthy behaviors by enhancing their autonomy and exploring ambivalence about change. With the rising prevalence of lifestyle-related diseases, MI has become increasingly relevant in health care, offering a structured yet emphatic approach to promote behavioral change. MI is well aligned with modern patient-centered care principles and has demonstrated effectiveness in weight loss, smoking cessation, diabetes management, and medication adherence. Despite its proven value, motivational interviewing remains inconsistently embedded within medical curricula, and many physicians lack sufficient expertise to incorporate MI effectively in their practice. Learning MI is widely regarded as difficult to master due to the reflective nature of this conversation. MI training curricula lack standardization in structure, delivery, and assessment. MI is commonly taught through lectures, role plays, didactic exercises, demonstrations, and occasionally simulated patients. Training with simulated patients is known to replicate real clinical scenarios effectively, which students consistently value positively. However, simulated patient training poses financial and organizational challenges, with unclear cost-effectiveness. To address these limitations, virtual reality (VR) has emerged as a potential alternative to traditional teaching methods, potentially overcoming key barriers associated with actor-based training. VR facilitates repetitive practice, skill refinement, and personalized learning in a secure, low-pressure environment. VR can reduce logistical and personnel burdens, thereby offering greater flexibility and lowering costs. However, VR-based MI training may be limited by reduced emotional engagement, fewer nonverbal cues, and less communicative variation compared to real-life interactions.