Patient-Empathy Training with FACS-Grounded Feedback
Objective Action-Unit feedback for clinician training, designed to work behind surgical masks. Used by medical schools, residency programs, and patient-experience teams.
Empathy training without objective feedback rarely changes behavior
Standardized-patient encounters and OSCE simulations are powerful, but assessment depends on rater judgment that is subjective, slow, and difficult to scale. Trainees rarely see what their own face was doing during a difficult disclosure or a patient outburst.
Clinicians also routinely wear masks — meaning the lower-face cues most trainers focus on are unavailable in real practice anyway.
Objective Action-Unit feedback the trainee can see in playback
Mental Edge analyzes recorded simulation encounters and surfaces the trainee's per-second AU trajectory alongside the patient's. Trainees see exactly when their concern signal (AU1 + AU4 combination) faltered, when their attention drifted, and when their micro-expressions diverged from their words.
Faculty get cohort-level dashboards to track empathy-skill development across rotations and identify trainees who would benefit from targeted coaching.
Capabilities
- Mask-aware analytics — Upper-face AUs (AU1, AU4, AU6, AU7) remain measurable behind a surgical mask. The system is built for the real clinical environment, not a hypothetical one.
- Side-by-side patient and clinician analysis — Visualize the affective dialogue between trainee and standardized patient frame by frame. Identify the exact moments where mirroring broke down.
- Objective OSCE supplements — Standardize a slice of empathy assessment with FACS-grounded measures that complement rater scoring — reducing variance across raters and across cohorts.
- PII-free by default — Stateless processing. Audit logs. Edge deployment available for facilities that cannot send video off-site.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does this replace standardized-patient assessment?
No. Mental Edge supplements rater-based OSCE scoring with objective Action-Unit measurements. Trained raters still provide the holistic clinical judgment; the platform reduces variance on the measurable component.
Will it work when clinicians wear masks?
Yes. The system is built around upper-face Action Units that remain visible behind surgical masks. Lower-face AUs are scored when visible and degrade gracefully when not.
How is patient privacy protected in simulation recordings?
Mental Edge is stateless by default — frames are processed and emotional vectors stored, raw video is not retained unless explicitly opted in. Edge deployment keeps everything on-premises.
What evidence base supports facial-affect feedback in clinical training?
The underlying methodology — FACS — has decades of peer-reviewed clinical use, including pediatric pain assessment, depression research, and pain-faking detection. Mental Edge applies the same Action-Unit framework in a training context.
Can this be integrated with our LMS?
Yes. Mental Edge supports SSO and exports per-trainee reports compatible with major LMS platforms — contact info@mentaledge.ai for specifics.
What's the cost for a medical school?
Pro + Analytics is $129.99/month per seat. Volume pricing for residency programs and medical schools is available — contact info@mentaledge.ai.
Recommended tier: Pro + Analytics ($129.99/mo) — Cohort dashboards, longitudinal tracking, and side-by-side analysis require the Pro + Analytics tier.
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