大象传媒

An intelligent person isn't always emotionally intelligent - which can be a problem in caring professions like medicine, where empathy has been linked to better health outcomes including shorter hospital stays.

So could doctors and even informal carers including family members increase their empathy through virtual reality exercises?

Studies are underway using special virtual reality goggles which give doctors the view of a patient. It's hoped it could help them gain greater insight into the reality faced by patients with dementia and other conditions.

Megan Brydon from the IWK Health Centre in Halifax in Canada is conducting the research. She says one use of the technology is the way it can recreate the confusion and difficulties patients face.

"(You) would wear a headset that would obstruct your vision and have audio interference so you can't hear properly, so it distorts your ability for you to do what you're cognitively thinking you're doing."

(Photo: A doctor comforts a patient (file photo). Credit: Getty Images)

Show less