NCT04558060

Randomized, Controlled Evaluation of a Virtual Human Patient for Provider Training in Motivational Interviewing

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 126 (actual)
• Sponsor: VA Puget Sound Health Care System · Federal
• Sex: All
• Age: —
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of training with a virtual standardized patient on the acquisition and maintenance of motivational interviewing skills compared with traditional academic study.

Detailed description

Motivational interviewing is an evidence-based counseling approach that aims to increase a patient's motivation to make positive health changes in their lives. A common training method for medical professionals is the use of human standardized patients, who are actors who pretend to be patients for educational interviews. Standardized patients are expensive and it is challenging to maintain an adequate pool of patient actors. Accordingly, after licensure or medical boards, health professionals typically adopt new evidence-based practices, like motivational interviewing, without human standardized patient training experiences. Given the established importance of post-training coaching and feedback to the acquisition of motivational interviewing, innovative training methods are needed. Computer virtual patients may provide a cost-effective alternative that is scalable and supports dissemination of evidence-based practices. This study will evaluate the efficacy of a virtual standardized patient, relative to academic study, for training motivational interviewing among health care professionals from the Department of Veterans Affairs and Department of Defense.

Conditions

• Motivational Interviewing

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
OTHER	Virtual Standardized Patient	Computer program that presented a virtual human patient
OTHER	Academic Study	Study of a summary of motivational interviewing concepts and techniques.

Timeline

• Start date: 2016-10-17
• Primary completion: 2019-08-12
• Completion: 2019-08-12
• First posted: 2020-09-22
• Last updated: 2020-09-22