Remote Virtual Reality Training for Behavioral Health in Nursing Education

by Jinsil Seo

We will present a Virtual Reality application that was created to provide a remote option of learning SBIRT skills, which is needed especially in these times of social distancing and classroom virtualization. SBIRT, which stands for Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment, is a comprehensive public behavior health approach that is commonly used by nurses and social workers to detect potential substance abuse in their patients. Our research focuses on the efficacy of a virtual reality training simulator on a student’s acquisition and retention of the SBIRT training material, as well as demonstrating the usefulness of a remote training option. By utilizing remote connectivity, we can create a virtual environment that nurses who need training can use to connect with an instructor anywhere around the world and test their SBIRT skills. With a variety of scenarios, voices, and characters, our application “Nursing Virtual Reality SBIRT Training Program” will provide the user with a diverse selection of simulated environments for training and education in healthcare.

Poster/Demo link.