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Welcome to ECHO: Your Clinical Communication Simulator!

ECHO (Effective Conversations for Healthcare Optimization) is designed to help you practice and refine your patient communication and clinical reasoning skills, especially with patients who may have Limited English Proficiency (LEP) or diverse cultural backgrounds.

This AI-powered simulator provides realistic patient encounters where you can practice culturally responsive communication, receive real-time feedback, and improve your skills in a safe, educational environment. Our platform is grounded in evidence-based research and follows the Patient-Centered/Biopsychosocial model of care.

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How to Use the Simulator

  1. 1
    Start a Scenario

    Click "Generate New Patient" to get a dynamically created patient profile, or select from the "Load Predefined Patient" dropdown. A default patient is loaded automatically when you start the app.

  2. 2
    Engage in Conversation

    Read the coach's introduction message in the chat window. Type your responses in the input box and press Enter or click "Send". Messages will be clearly labeled:

    • Coach - Provides guidance and feedback
    • Provider - Your messages and responses
    • Patient - The standardized patient's responses

  3. 3
    Navigate Encounter Phases

    The clinical encounter is broken down into 5 phases, mirroring the Patient-Centered/Biopsychosocial Model:

    • Initiation & Building the Relationship
    • Information Gathering & History Taking
    • Physical Examination
    • Assessment & Plan / Shared Decision-Making
    • Closure

    The coach will introduce each new phase and provide its goals.

  4. 4
    Receive Feedback & Scoring

    After each meaningful interaction, the simulator will assess your performance. The Rubric Scorecard (at the bottom) will show points for five key areas. Each category is worth 1 point per phase, with detailed justifications explaining the scoring.

    Communication

    Clear, appropriate language, active listening, and effective questioning techniques

    Trust & Rapport

    Empathetic connection, trust building, and emotional management

    Accuracy

    Clinically relevant questions and precise information gathering

    Cultural Humility

    Respectful exploration of cultural context and patient beliefs

    Shared Understanding

    Patient comprehension, involvement in decisions, and teach-back techniques

  5. 5
    Use Helper Buttons

    Take advantage of these powerful learning tools:

    • 💡
      Coach Tip
      Get a coach's tip based on your actions so far, providing context and guidance for the current phase.
    • ✅
      Inject Good Response
      See an AI-generated ideal provider response and learn from best practices.
    • ❌
      Inject Poor Response
      Observe a less-than-ideal response and understand its negative impact.
    • ⏭️
      Move to Next Phase
      Manually advance the scenario if you feel stuck or have completed the current phase.
    • 📄
      Download Transcript
      At the end of the encounter, download the full conversation history and score summary.

  6. 6
    Complete the Encounter

    The encounter ends after the Closure phase. Your final total score and comprehensive overall feedback will be displayed, summarizing your performance and providing actionable insights for improvement.

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Key Success Principles

Clear Communication

Use simple, jargon-free language. Speak at an appropriate pace and check for understanding frequently.

Active Listening

Pay attention to both verbal and non-verbal cues. Reflect back what you hear to confirm understanding.

Cultural Integration

Acknowledge and integrate the patient's unique cultural background into your approach and treatment planning.

Patient Partnership

Involve patients in decision-making and ensure they understand their role in their care plan.

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Rubric Definitions

Communication

Provider demonstrates clear, appropriate language, active listening, and effective questioning techniques. Messages are easy to understand for the patient.

Trust & Rapport

Provider establishes an empathetic and respectful connection with the patient, builds trust, and manages emotions effectively, fostering an open environment.

Accuracy

Provider asks clinically relevant questions, gathers precise and complete information, and identifies key symptoms and history details crucial for diagnosis.

Cultural Humility

Provider explores the patient's ideas, beliefs, and cultural context respectfully, avoids assumptions, and acknowledges cultural factors influencing health and decision-making.

Shared Understanding

Provider ensures patient comprehension of information and the management plan, actively involves the patient in decisions, and effectively uses techniques like teach-back.

Ready to Start Training?

Begin your journey toward more effective, culturally responsive patient communication.

Launch ECHO Simulator