UM-HEART-VR - Upskilling Malaysian Healthcare for empathy and communication through Virtual Reality

Healthcare professionals require strong communication and empathy skills, especially when interacting with vulnerable patients or working in high-stress situations. In Malaysia, a multicultural Southeast Asian nation, these skills are emphasized in medical education but are inconsistently taught. Studies highlight an urgent need to improve empathy and communication training to enhance care quality in Malaysia’s evolving healthcare landscape. Current efforts are limited, fragmented, and lack uniformity.Virtual Reality (VR) is a powerful tool for developing soft skills by providing immersive, scalable, and culturally adaptable practice-based learning. It offers a safe environment for students to improve communication and handle challenging consultations. However, the adoption of VR in low- and middle-income countries like Malaysia is hindered by high costs, limited expertise, and lack of implementation frameworks.The UM-HEART-VR project addresses these challenges by introducing VR-based empathy and communication training aligned with EU and international standards. Responding to the Erasmus call for Digital Transformation in higher education, the project will support three Malaysian healthcare schools in adopting VR technology. By collaborating with EU partners experienced in VR platforms, the initiative will transfer knowledge and skills to modernize Malaysia’s digital health curricula.Key objectives include training educators, technologists, and content experts, updating digital health teaching, and integrating validated VR-based resources into curricula. The project will establish institutional and national hubs to foster collaboration among universities, businesses, and healthcare organizations, promoting regional and international cooperation. By incorporating VR-based problem-based learning techniques, UM-HEART-VR aims to transform empathy and communication training, modernize healthcare education, and align Malaysia’s efforts with global standards.