Alcohol Related Death During the Holidays Are Curbed Using Virtual Role-Players to Train Healthcare Providers

Officials warn that the period between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day is “especially dangerous” because of drunk drivers.

COLUMBIA, MD, UNITED STATES, November 21, 2022 /EINPresswire.com/ — Officials warn that the period between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day is “especially dangerous” because of drunk drivers. Powerful virtual role-players developed by SIMmersion, in partnership with major universities, are helping doctors and other healthcare providers reach out to their patients before their risky drinking makes the holidays tragic.

Whether it’s beer during Thanksgiving football games, spiked egg nogs at holiday parties, or champagne on New Year’s Eve, there are plenty of chances to have a few too many drinks during the holidays. More than a quarter of Americans reported that they engage in binge drinking, but fewer than 10% of those with alcohol use disorders receive treatment. See https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/brochures-and-fact-sheets/alcohol-facts-and-statistics. For people struggling with alcoholism or at risk for alcohol use disorder, what starts as a celebratory time can potentially end with deadly results—especially if they drink and drive. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that drunk drivers caused more than 11,500 deaths in 2020. See https://www.nhtsa.gov/risky-driving/drunk-driving#:~:text=In%202020%2C%2011%2C654%20people%20died,a%2014%25%20increase%20from%202019.

Healthcare Providers Can Intervene and Reduce Alcohol-Related Deaths

Just as law enforcement is on high alert to stop drunk drivers during the holidays, the country’s medical professionals are doing their part to help patients make safer choices about alcohol long before they get behind the wheel. Research shows that when healthcare providers intervene, alcohol consumption drops and often stays down. However, raising the topic of alcohol use with patients isn’t always easy. If a provider comes across the wrong way, patients may become defensive and refuse to change their behaviors. As a result, many providers are uncomfortable talking to their patients about alcohol use.

Intervention Training Helps Providers

To support providers across the country, SIMmersion joined forces with the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), and others on the cutting edge of alcohol intervention research to develop four groundbreaking training systems utilizing virtual role-players. There are different approaches that have been shown to be effective at reducing alcohol consumption, and each is tailored to meet different patient and provider requirements. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Motivational Interviewing (MI) are effective and are well suited to situations where alcohol use disorder requires extended therapy. Two other commonly used approaches are Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral (SBIR) and Brief Motivational Intervention (Brief MI). These last two methods are appropriate in a setting when there is less time for therapy and are used by both physicians and therapist.

Motivational Interviewing (MI) is a commonly used technique and is most often completed in one or two sessions. It’s designed to move someone through the stages of change (e.g., pre-contemplation, compilation, preparation, action, maintenance) using their own motivations to resolve ambivalence. While SIMmersion’s role-play training is designed to replicate a real session with a client who is using cocaine, the technique is also used when a patient is struggling with alcohol use. Learn more at https://mi.simmersion.com/.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a highly effective intervention, often preferred by counselors, that requires several clinical sessions. This therapy is designed for clients who want to stop their addictive behavior but need help quitting. Three role-players (See Figure 1) are used to help clinicians learn to work with alcohol-use disorder clients at different stages in their recovery. The interactive suite provides opportunities for clinicians, and clinicians in training, to practice and learn CBT skills and build their confidence. Learn more at https://trainingcbt.simmersion.com/.

Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral (SBIR) is designed for providers (both physicians and counselors) to support patients using alcohol or other drugs. It’s used to evaluate patients, and if they are drinking, or using, at an unsafe level, provide a brief intervention and refer them to a counselor. Learn more at https://www.simmersion.com/products/Alcohol-Screening-and-Brief-Intervention-with-Christy-Johnson.
Brief MI is also used in any healthcare setting. It is specifically focused on understanding motivations and moving toward change. Learn more at https://briefmi.simmersion.com/.

The Role-Play Technology

The role-play training systems have been created utilizing PeopleSim®, a SIMmersion proprietary technology used for a variety of applications. When a practice session is started, a randomly selected personality is assigned to the role-player. The sessions typically have between 50 and 100 exchanges. For each exchange, users select one of a large variety of statements. Each statement typically has from 7 to 15 possible responses. To choose the role-player response, the PeopleSim technology calculates probabilities for each of the possible responses based on current conditions, and then uses these probabilities to randomly select a response. The probability calculations are based on one of the role-player’s different randomly selected personalities and on the evolving relationship the user has developed with the role-player during the conversation. To learn more, watch the YouTube video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RP0OZc5gMhQ&list=PLTy-OgL177bgpBCYlrY8Vt4XHH5vovBzS&index=2.

About SIMmersion

SIMmersion’s mission is to train communication skills faster and more effectively by combining the world’s most realistic simulation experiences with interactive training content and extensive feedback. For more information contact SIMmersion by calling 443 283 2555 or online at www.simmersion.com/contact.

Dale Edward Olsen
SIMmersion
+1 443-745-5754
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