SOPHIE: Standardized Online Patient for Healthcare Interaction Education

This study was a randomized educational evaluation of an AI based online simulation training program designed to support the development of clinician communication skills. Participants included clinicians and clinical trainees who routinely engage in patient communication as part of their professional roles. Participants were randomly assigned to either the SOPHIE simulation training program or a control educational condition consisting of standard instructional materials. All participants completed simulated patient encounters that were evaluated by trained standardized patients and expert raters using structured communication assessment tools. The primary outcomes of interest focused on communication skill performance in simulated scenarios as well as participant feedback on the educational experience. The study did not involve real patients clinical care or health related interventions and was conducted as an educational research project. The study was approved by the institutional review board prior to participant enrollment. It was registered retrospectively in ClinicalTrials.gov at the request of a journal during manuscript preparation.