Leveraging immersive technology to expand access to opioid overdose reversal training in community settings: Results from a randomized controlled equivalence trial

Natalie Herbert; Sydney Axson; Leeann Siegel; Kyle Cassidy; Ann Marie Hoyt-Brennan; Clare Whitney; Allison Herens; Nicholas A Giordano

doi:10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2020.108160

Leveraging immersive technology to expand access to opioid overdose reversal training in community settings: Results from a randomized controlled equivalence trial

Drug Alcohol Depend. 2020 Sep 1:214:108160. doi: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2020.108160. Epub 2020 Jul 2.

Authors

Natalie Herbert¹, Sydney Axson², Leeann Siegel³, Kyle Cassidy³, Ann Marie Hoyt-Brennan², Clare Whitney², Allison Herens⁴, Nicholas A Giordano⁵

Affiliations

¹ Woods Institute for the Environment, Stanford University, 473 Via Ortega, Stanford, CA, USA.
² School of Nursing, University of Pennsylvania, 418 Curie Boulevard, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
³ Annenberg School for Communication, University of Pennsylvania, 620 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
⁴ Division of Substance Use Prevention and Harm Reduction, Philadelphia Department of Public Health, 1101 Market Street, 13th Floor, Suite 1320, Philadelphia PA, USA.
⁵ Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing, Emory University, 1520 Clifton Road, Atlanta, GA, USA. Electronic address: ngiorda@emory.edu.

PMID: 32653721
DOI: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2020.108160

Abstract

Background: Immersive video (e.g. virtual reality) poses a promising and engaging alternative to standard in-person trainings and can potentially increase access to evidence-based opioid overdose prevention programs (OOPPs). Therefore, the objective of this equivalence study was to test whether the immersive video OOPP was equivalent to a standard in-person OOPP for changes in opioid overdose knowledge and attitudes.

Methods: A team of nurses and communication researchers developed a 9-minute immersive video OOPP. To test whether this immersive video OOPP (treatment) demonstrated equivalent gains in opioid overdose response knowledge and attitudes as in-person OOPPs (standard of care control), researchers deployed a two-day field experiment in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. In this equivalence trial, 9 libraries were randomly assigned to offer treatment or control OOPP to community members attending naloxone giveaway events. In this equivalence design, a difference between treatment and control groups pre- to post-training scores within -1.0 to 1.0 supports equivalence between the trainings.

Results: Results demonstrate participants (N = 94) exposed to the immersive video OOPP had equivalent improvements on posttest knowledge (β=-0.18, p = .61) and more favorable attitudes about responding to an opioid overdose (β=0.26, p = .02) than those exposed to the standard OOPP. However, these minor differences in knowledge and attitudes were within the equivalence interval indicating that the immersive video OOPP remained equivalently effective for community members.

Conclusions: Community partnerships, like those between public health departments and libraries, can provide opportunities for deploying novel immersive video OOPP that, alongside standard offerings, can strengthen community response to the opioid crisis.

Keywords: Equivalence trial; Harm reduction; Naloxone; Opioid; Virtual reality.

Publication types

Randomized Controlled Trial
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Adult
Analgesics, Opioid / therapeutic use
Drug Overdose / prevention & control
Female
Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice*
Humans
Male
Naloxone / therapeutic use
Narcotic Antagonists / therapeutic use
Opiate Overdose / prevention & control*
Philadelphia
Technology

Substances

Analgesics, Opioid
Narcotic Antagonists
Naloxone