November in this issue

Can virtual reality transform simulation-based training? This paper offers new insights from leaders and experts in simulation and debriefing by presenting a qualitative study outlining how they see the future of immersive virtual reality in simulation-based training. What are the potentials? What are the pitfalls? Find out how specific virtual reality features align with various learning goals, and explore practical strategies to enhance learning in virtual reality-based training!

Andersen, A-M, Kjærgaard, J, Hoffman, IM, Chang, T, Poulsen, A, Lee, JY, Gjærde, LK, Lund, S, Paulsen, L, Sorensen, J, Overbeck, G. Immersive virtual reality training: addressing challenges and unlocking potentials. Med Educ. 2025; 59(11): 1222–1234. doi:10.1111/medu.15748

Feedback is essential to learning and performance yet remains a conceptually fragmented area in medical education. This study compares 11 feedback models using a novel pattern system. While key elements like judgement and assessment recur across models, the analysis also revealed striking variation in how feedback is conceptualised and applied. By highlighting both convergence and divergence, the study suggests that pattern theory may offer a unifying lens to navigate the complexity of feedback and support the development of a shared language for research and practice.

Patocka, C, Cooke, L, Ma, I, Ellaway, R. Untangling feedback: mapping the patterns behind the practice. Med Educ. 2025; 59(11): 1196–1203. doi:10.1111/medu.15706

Residents face unique challenges when patients file complaints during their medical training. This study explores how physicians' narratives about receiving complaints during residency shaped their professional identity and career paths. Through interviews with 35 physicians who experienced complaints during training, researchers identified common emotional journeys—from initial shock and isolation to eventual reframing of these experiences as opportunities for growth. The findings reveal how these pivotal moments influenced specialty choices, clinical boundaries and communication approaches long after residency ended. By understanding these experiences, medical education programmes can better support residents in navigating complaints constructively, transforming potentially destabilising events into catalysts for professional development while maintaining focus on patient safety.

McDougall, A, Claudio, F, Pound, C, Pacheco, K, Fortier, J, Garber, G. From challenge to growth: exploring physician narratives of patient complaints during residency. Med Educ. 2025; 59(11): 1204–1213. doi:10.1111/medu.15716

Modern healthcare needs more than a disease-focused approach—it needs a person-centred one. This study shows how ‘medicines optimisation’, including deprescribing, can be used to teach future doctors to balance biomedical facts with patients' lived experiences. Through a global review of medical school programmes, the authors identified five key ingredients for success: stakeholder support, integration into assessments, recognition of professional responsibility, resource alignment and cultural fit. The result is a practical roadmap for educators who want to move beyond theory and prepare graduates to deliver care that is both scientifically sound and deeply human.

Bodington, R, Reeve, J, Hepburn, D, Morgan, M, Crampton, P. Teaching routine person-centered practice in medical education through medicines optimization: a realist review. Med Educ. 2025; 59(11): 1172–1188. doi:10.1111/medu.15727