Evidence on obesity simulation suits in healthcare education is limited and heterogeneous, with mixed effects on attitudes and empathy¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · review r3 · q2
Currency · newest study 2026 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q2 i? Twelve studies met inclusion criteria, spanning multiple countries and health disciplines, and reported mixed results with some short-term improvements and others finding no significant changes. → Steinacker Anna C. 2026

Evidence¶

Steinacker Anna C. 2026¶

Steinacker Anna C., Bischof Lukas, Herchet Daniela, Kreiss Victoria, Klingenberg Michael, Bösner Stefan. (2026). Obesity simulation suits in health professions education: a scoping review. BMC Medical Education. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-026-09565-1

q2 · i? · review · r3

Scoping review following the Arksey and O'Malley framework refined by JBI, searching CINAHL, PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science in November 2025 with citation tracking. "Twelve studies met the inclusion criteria out of 152 identified records." Results were synthesized descriptively with no formal critical appraisal.

"Twelve studies met the inclusion criteria out of 152 identified records. Studies were conducted across multiple countries, including the United States, Germany, and other countries, and involved learners from medicine, nursing, nutrition science, and exercise science."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• The reviewed evidence base comprises 15 studies (N=645) with heterogeneous designs, predominantly text-based, GPT-model virtual patients — related
• The 41 included IPE studies were heterogeneous in design, scale, and professions, with no randomized controlled trials — related
• Effects on the ATOP scale were inconsistent across the three studies that used it — possibly the same claim (merge candidate)
• Included studies acknowledge OSS cannot fully reproduce the lived experience of people with obesity — a narrower finding that bears on this claim
• The review included 19 studies, predominantly from the United States (n=9) and Canada (n=5), with heterogeneous methodological quality — related