# Cancer Center Support Grant

> **NIH NIH P30** · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES · 2023 · $96,064

## Abstract

ABSTRACT
This application is being submitted in response to the Notice of Special Interest (NOSI) identified as
NOT-CA-23-041: Administrative supplements to examine the effects of digital tools and interventions
on patient-provider communication across the cancer control continuum.
Development of a virtual platform for primary care physicians to rehearse conversations with patients
who have an abnormal mammogram
It is difficult for physicians to deliver bad news to patients, such as a cancer diagnosis. Communication skills
training is limited, often taking place through workshops or standardized patients (SP). SP programs provide
active learning opportunities for clinicians to solidify passive classroom learning but also introduce challenges
in recruiting, training, and retaining SP, and maintaining program fidelity using different SP. We propose to
develop a virtual reality (VR) communication training module for physicians that incorporates simulated SP
(avatars) to address challenges using live SP. This is an innovative application of VR training in the healthcare
sector. To date, VR has largely been used to enhance telehealth, train physicians to refine motor skills, and
manage patient pain. As a use case, we will develop a VR training module for primary care physicians to
rehearse communicating an abnormal mammography result to a patient and the evaluation that ensues. We
chose this use case because it is a common and challenging communication scenario for physicians and their
patients, and one we can reasonably address within a one-year timeline and limited funding allotted by this
NOSI. Breast cancer is the most common incident cancer among women in the United States. Mammography
is a screening tool that yields a high rate of false positives after repeat testing. Physicians need proficient
interpersonal communication skills to help their patients navigate the emotions that accompany a positive
screen and present for follow-up to take appropriate action for further testing and treatment if cancer is present.
Our team in the UCLA Geffen School of Medicine (SOM) brings multidisciplinary expertise in primary and
oncology clinical care, VR and human-centered design, and mixed methods. We will conduct in-depth
interviews with primary care physicians (n=5), SOM students (n=5), and breast cancer survivors to construct
journey maps (n=5) and identify ways for physicians to better communicate with patients and help them
navigate medical diagnostic and treatment processes that begin with an abnormal mammography. Based on
qualitative findings, we will plan out the training module using story boards to adequately capture patient
diversity and potential variations in conversation streams between providers and patients, patient reactions and
emotions, and physical appearances of patients. After storyboarding, we will iteratively develop a VR training
module and patient avatars as a proof-of-concept and evaluate feasibility, acceptability, and usability wi...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10831668
- **Project number:** 3P30CA016042-47S3
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES
- **Principal Investigator:** MICHAEL A TEITELL
- **Activity code:** P30 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2023
- **Award amount:** $96,064
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 1996-12-01 → 2024-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10831668

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10831668, Cancer Center Support Grant (3P30CA016042-47S3). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10831668. Licensed CC0.

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