Suicide risk assessment training using an online virtual patient simulation.

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Psychiatry
• Digital Health

Background:

• Effective identification and intervention for patients at risk for suicide are crucial.
• Virtual patient simulations (VPS) offer a safe and repeatable method for skill development in sensitive clinical interactions.
• This study piloted a novel VPS for suicide risk assessment training.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the feasibility and acceptability of a new virtual patient simulation (VPS) for suicide risk assessment training.
• To examine pre-post changes in suicide-related knowledge among healthcare practitioners using the VPS.

Main Methods:

• Twenty practitioners from a Federally Qualified Health Center participated.
• Feasibility and acceptability were measured through usage data and satisfaction ratings (scale of 1-7).
• A paired samples t-test analyzed changes in suicide risk assessment knowledge scores (scale of 0-10) from pre- to post-training.

Main Results:

• The VPS was feasible, with 18/20 participants completing the training (average duration 21-95 minutes).
• Participant satisfaction with the VPS was high, averaging 5.82 out of 7.
• A statistically significant improvement in knowledge scores was observed, with an average increase of 1.86 points post-training.

Conclusions:

• The virtual patient simulation (VPS) demonstrated feasibility and acceptability among healthcare practitioners.
• The VPS training led to a significant increase in participants' knowledge of suicide risk assessment.
• VPS technology shows considerable potential for improving skills in suicide risk assessment and intervention.