Virtual reality trains public to reverse opioid overdoses

Date:
September 14, 2020
Source:
University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing
Summary:
The United States has seen a 200% increase in the rate of deaths by
opioid overdose in the last 20 years. But many of these deaths were
preventable. Naloxone, also called Narcan, is a prescription drug
that reverses opioid overdoses, and in more than 40 states there
is a standing order policy, which makes it available to anyone,
without an individual prescription from a healthcare provider.



FULL STORY ==========================================================================
The United States has seen a 200% increase in the rate of deaths by opioid overdose in the last 20 years. But many of these deaths were preventable.

Naloxone, also called Narcan, is a prescription drug that reverses opioid overdoses, and in more than 40 states -- including Pennsylvania --
there is a standing order policy, which makes it available to anyone,
without an individual prescription from a healthcare provider.


========================================================================== Members of the public can carry naloxone in case they encounter a person experiencing an opioid overdose. But how do you know if someone needs
naloxone and how do you administer it? Health care providers are often
trained to respond in these types of situations, and prior to the onset
of COVID-19, public health organizations were offering in-person trainings
to the public.

But how do we get even more people trained and motivated to save lives
from opioid overdoses, especially in our current socially distanced
world? A group of interdisciplinary researchers from the University of Pennsylvania and the Philadelphia Department of Public Heath developed a virtual reality immersive video training aimed at doing just that. Their
new study -- published recently in Drug and Alcohol Prevention -- shows
that the VR training is just as effective as an in-person training at
giving the public both the knowledge and the confidence they need to
administer naloxone and save lives.

"Overdoses aren't happening in hospitals and doctor's offices," says
Nicholas Giordano, former Lecturer at Penn's School of Nursing. "They're happening in our communities: in parks, libraries, and even in our
own homes. It's crucial that we get the ability to save lives into the
hands of the people on the front lines in close proximity to individuals
at risk of overdose." The researchers adapted a 60 minute in-person
training, the educational standard for health care providers, into a
9-minute immersive virtual reality video. Then the interdisciplinary
team tested the VR training on members of the public at free naloxone
giveaways and training clinics hosted by the Philadelphia Department of
Health at local libraries. (The clinics were held in 2019 and early 2020, before the coronavirus pandemic made such events unsafe.) Roughly a
third of the 94 participants received one-on-one in-person instruction
on how to administer naloxone, while the others watched the experimental
VR training. After the initial training, participants answered questions
about the training to determine if they'd learned enough information to
safely administer naloxone in the case of an opioid overdose.

Before leaving the library, all participants were given the opportunity
to receive whichever training they didn't receive initially. Since the
VR training was still in testing mode, the researchers wanted to ensure
that all participants had full access to what they came for: knowledge
of how to save lives.

"We were really pleased to discover that our VR training works just as
well as an in-person training," says Natalie Herbert, a 2020 graduate
of Penn's Annenberg School for Communication. "We weren't looking to
replace the trainings public health organizations are already offering;
rather, we were hoping to offer an alternative for folks who can't get to
an in-person training, but still want the knowledge. And we're excited
to be able to do that." In addition to continuing to test their VR
training, the researchers plan to begin making it available to the general public through partnerships with libraries, public health organizations,
and other local stakeholders. With grant support from the Independence
Blue Cross Foundation, the team will be disseminating and promoting the
VR training throughout the Greater Philadelphia Area. Now, more than
ever, the portability and immersive aspects of this VR raining can be
leveraged to expand access to overdose training. For more information
on how to experience the VR training, which can be used at home through
Google Cardboard or other VR viewers, visit their website: https:// www.virtualinnovation.org.


========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by University_of_Pennsylvania_School_of_Nursing. Note: Content may be edited
for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Natalie Herbert, Sydney Axson, Leeann Siegel, Kyle Cassidy,
Ann Marie
Hoyt-Brennan, Clare Whitney, Allison Herens, Nicholas A. Giordano.

Leveraging immersive technology to expand access to opioid overdose
reversal training in community settings: Results from a randomized
controlled equivalence trial. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 2020;
214: 108160 DOI: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2020.108160 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/09/200914160752.htm

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