From Bedside to Bot: How AI is Transforming Communication Training in Medicine

Why AI-powered virtual patients could become the next big thing in medical education – and what they won’t replace.

Aug 28, 2025

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💬 I’m delighted to welcome our first guest contributor: Dr Sandhya Duggal, Lecturer in Sociology at the University of St Andrews School of Medicine, where she leads the Communication Skills curriculum.

“If you can’t communicate with a patient, you’ve got a real problem.”

This reflection stayed in my mind long after a chat I had recently with a colleague…

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A guest post by

Dr Sandhya Duggal

I’m a lecturer at the University of St Andrews and I specialise in medical sociology and communication skills and health service evaluation. My Substack will focus on the wonderful world of communication in Medical Education.