Virtual Reality Lethal Means Safety Training
Expanding Provider Capacity to Prevent Rural Veteran Suicide: Virtual Reality Lethal Means Safety Training
The University of Texas at Arlington
36 participants
Feb 23, 2026
INTERVENTIONAL
Conditions
Summary
The goal of this randomized clinical trial is to determine whether a virtual reality (VR) training program can help healthcare providers improve their skills in discussing suicide prevention and safe storage of firearms and medications with Veterans. The study will test whether VR training increases providers' self-efficacy, confidence, and comfort in conducting lethal means safety counseling, and whether it improves their intention to use these counseling practices in their clinical work. Researchers will compare healthcare providers who complete the VR training to those who complete a 2D video training to determine whether the VR approach is more effective. Participants will complete online surveys before and after the training and again three months later. They will be randomly assigned to one of two groups: VR training group: Participants use a VR headset to interact with a virtual Veteran patient in a simulated rural clinic and practice suicide prevention counseling skills; Video training group: Participants use the same headset to watch a \~10-minute 2D video depicting the lethal means safety counseling session. After the training, participants will also provide feedback about their experience, including how realistic and useful they found the training.
Eligibility
Inclusion Criteria4
- Age 18 or older
- healthcare providers serving rural Veterans in Texas (e.g., physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, nurses, pharmacists, social workers, healthcare case managers)
- English-speaking
- Able to provide informed consent
Exclusion Criteria7
- Self-reported pregnancy
- History of motor or balance disorders
- Color blindness
- Neurological or cognitive disorders
- Cardiovascular issues that may be worsened by VR use
- Use of cardiac pacemakers, defibrillators, or hearing aids incompatible with VR equipment
- Significant discomfort in virtual reality environments (e.g., severe motion sickness, vertigo)
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Interventions
An immersive behavioral training program delivered through a Meta Quest 3 virtual reality headset. Participants enter a simulated rural health clinic and interact with a Veteran avatar at risk for suicide. The simulation incorporates realistic dialogue and decision points where providers practice skills in suicide risk identification, lethal means safety counseling (firearm and medication storage), and collaborative safety planning. The VR format allows repeated practice in a safe environment and provides a more engaging and realistic training experience than traditional methods.
A 10-minute video delivered through a VR headset that depicts a healthcare provider conducting lethal means safety counseling with a Veteran. This is a non-interactive training used as an active comparator.
Locations(1)
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NCT07219355