Objective The novel coronavirus-19 (COVID-19) has taken an immense physical, social, and emotional toll on frontline healthcare workers. Research has documented higher levels of anxiety, depression, and burnout among healthcare workers during the pandemic. Thus, creative interventions are needed now more than ever to provide brief, accessible support to frontline workers. Virtual reality is a rapidly growing technology with potential psychological applications. In this study, we piloted a three-minute Tranquil Cinematic-VR simulation of a nature scene to lower subjective stress among frontline healthcare workers in COVID-19 treatment units. We chose to film a nature scene because of the extensive empirical literature documenting the benefits of nature exposure and health. Methods A convenience sample of frontline healthcare workers, including direct care providers, indirect care providers, and support or administrative services, were recruited from three COVID-19 units located in the United States. Inclusion criteria for participation included adults aged 18 years and older who could read and speak in English and were currently employed by the healthcare system. Participants viewed a 360-degree video capture of a lush, green nature preserve in an Oculus Go or Pico G2 4K head-mounted display. Prior to viewing the simulation, participants completed a brief demographic questionnaire and the visual analogue scale to rate their subjective stress on a 10-point scale, with 1 = ‘Not at all stressed’ to 10 = ‘Extremely stressed.’ We conducted paired t-tests to examine pre- and post-simulation changes in subjective stress as well as Kruskal-Wallis tests and Mann-Whitney U tests to examine differences by demographic variables. All analyses were conducted in SPSS statistical software version 28.0. We defined statistical significance as a p-value less than .05. Results A total of 102 individuals consented to participate in the study. Eighty-four (82.4%) participants reported providing direct patient care, 73 (71.6%) identified as women, 49 (48.0%) were between the ages of 25–34 years old, and 35 (34.3%) had prior experience with VR. The pre-simulation mean stress score was 5.5±2.2, with a range of 1 to 10. Thirty-three (32.4%) participants met the 6.8 cutoff for high stress pre-simulation. Pre-simulation stress scores did not differ by any demographic variables. Post-simulation, we observed a significant reduction in subjective stress scores from pre- to post-simulation (mean change = -2.2±1.7, t = 12.749, p < .001), with a Cohen’s d of 1.08, indicating a very large effect. Further, only four (3.9%) participants met the cutoff for high stress after the simulation. Post-simulations scores did not differ by provider type, age range, gender, or prior experience with virtual reality. Conclusions Findings from this pilot study suggest that the application of this Tranquil Cinematic-VR simulation was effective in reducing subjective stress among frontline healthcare workers in the short-term. More research is needed to compare the Tranquil Cinematic-VR simulation to a control condition and assess subjective and objective measures of stress over time.

Background In southeastern Appalachian Ohio, the prevalence of diabetes is 19.9%, nearly double that of the national average of 10.5%. Here, people with diabetes are more likely to have a delayed diagnosis, limited access to health care, and lower health literacy. Despite the high rates of diabetes in the region, the availability of endocrinologists and certified diabetes care and education specialists is limited. Therefore, innovative strategies to address the growing diabetes care demands are needed. One approach is to train the primary care workforce in new and emerging therapies for type 2 diabetes to meet the increasing demands and complexity of diabetes care. Objective The aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness of a virtual reality training program designed to improve cultural self-efficacy and diabetes attitudes. Methods Health care providers and administrators were recruited from large health care systems, private practices, university-owned hospitals or clinics, Federally Qualified Health Centers, local health departments, and AmeriCorps. Providers and administrators participated in a 3-hour virtual reality training program consisting of 360-degree videos produced in a professional, cinematic manner; this technique is called virtual reality cinema (cine-VR). Questionnaires measuring cultural self-efficacy, diabetes attitudes, and presence in cine-VR were administered to providers and administrators before and after the program. Results A total of 69 participants completed the study. The mean age of the sample was 42.2 years (SD 13.7), 86% (59/69) identified as female, 83% (57/69) identified as White, 86% (59/69) identified as providers, and 25% (17/69) identified as nurses. Following the training program, we observed positive improvements in all three of the cultural self-efficacy subscales: Cognitive (mean change –1.29; t65=–9.309; P<.001), Practical (mean change –1.85; t65=–9.319; P<.001), and Affective (mean change –0.75; t65=–7.067; P<.001). We observed the largest magnitude of change with the subscale, with a Cohen d of 1.16 indicating a very large effect. In addition, we observed positive improvements in all five of the diabetes attitude subscales: Need for special training (mean change –0.21; t67=–6.154; P<.001), Seriousness of type 2 diabetes (mean change –0.34; t67=–8.114; P<.001), Value of tight glucose control (mean change –0.13; t67=–3.029; P=.001), Psychosocial impact of diabetes (mean change –0.33; t67=–6.610; P<.001), and Attitude toward patient autonomy (mean change –0.17; t67=–3.889; P<.001). We observed the largest magnitude of change with the Psychosocial impact of diabetes subscale, with a Cohen d of 0.87 indicating a large effect. We observed only one significant correlation between presence in cine-VR (ie, Interface Quality) and a positive change score (ie, Affective self-efficacy) (r=.285; P=.03). Conclusions Our findings support the notion that cine-VR education is an innovative approach to improve cultural self-efficacy and diabetes attitudes among health care providers and administrators. The long-term impact of cine-VR education on cultural self-efficacy and diabetes attitudes needs to be determined.

Background The global market for medical education is projected to increase exponentially over the next 5 years. A mode of delivery expected to drive the growth of this market is virtual reality (VR). VR simulates real-world objects, events, locations, and interactions in 3D multimedia sensory environments. It has been used successfully in medical education for surgical training, learning anatomy, and advancing drug discovery. New VR research has been used to simulate role-playing and clinical encounters; however, most of this research has been conducted with health professions students and not current health care professionals. Thus, more research is needed to explore how health care professionals experience VR with role-playing and clinical encounters. Objective The aim of this study was to explore health care professionals’ experiences with a cinematic VR (cine-VR) training program focused on role-playing and clinical encounters addressing social determinants of health, Appalachian culture, and diabetes. Cine-VR leverages 360-degree video with the narrative storytelling of cinema to create an engaging educational experience. Methods We conducted in-depth telephone interviews with health care professionals who participated in the cine-VR training. The interviews were audio recorded and transcribed verbatim. A multidisciplinary team coded and analyzed the data using content and thematic analyses with NVivo software. Results We conducted 24 in-depth interviews with health care professionals (age=45.3, SD 11.3, years; n=16, 67%, women; n=22, 92%, White; and n=4, 17%, physicians) to explore their experiences with the cine-VR training. Qualitative analysis revealed five themes: immersed in the virtual world: seeing a 360-degree sphere allowed participants to immerse themselves in the virtual world; facilitated knowledge acquisition: all the participants accurately recalled the culture of Appalachia and listed the social determinants of health presented in the training; empathized with multiple perspectives: the cine-VR provided a glimpse into the real life of the main character, and participants described thinking about, feeling, and empathizing with the character’s frustrations and disappointments; perceived ease of use of cine-VR: 96% (23/24) of the participants described the cine-VR as easy to use, and they liked the 360-degree movement, image resolution, and sound quality but noted limitations with the buttons on the headsets and risk for motion sickness; and perceived utility of cine-VR as a teaching tool: participants described cine-VR as an effective teaching tool because it activated visual and affective learning for them. Conclusions Participants emphasized the realism of the cine-VR training program. They attributed the utility of the cine-VR to visual learning in conjunction with the emotional connection to the VR characters. Furthermore, participants reported that the cine-VR increased their empathy for people. More research is needed to confirm an association between the level of immersion and empathy in cine-VR training for health care professionals.

BACKGROUND In southeastern Appalachian Ohio, the prevalence of diabetes is 19.9%, nearly than double the national average of 10.5%. Here, people with diabetes are more likely to have a delayed diagnosis, limited access to healthcare, and lower health literacy. Despite the high rates of diabetes in the region, the availability of endocrinologists and certified diabetes care and education specialists is limited. Therefore, innovative strategies to address the growing diabetes care demands are needed. One approach is to train the primary care workforce in new and emerging therapies for type 2 diabetes to meet the increasing demands and complexity of diabetes care. OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a virtual reality training program designed to improve cultural self-efficacy and diabetes attitudes. METHODS Healthcare providers and administrators were recruited from large health care systems, private practices, university-owned hospitals or clinics, Federally Qualified Health Centers, local health departments, and AmeriCorps. Providers and administrators participated in a 3-hour virtual reality training program consisting of 360-degree videos produced in a professional cinematic manner (cine-VR). Questionnaires measuring cultural self-efficacy, diabetes attitudes, and presence in cine-VR were administered to providers and administrators before and after the program. RESULTS A total of 69 participants (mean age=42.2±13.7 years, 85.5% (n=59) identified as female, 82.6% (n=57) identified as white, 85.5% (n=59) providers, 17.3% (n=17) nurses) completed the study. Following the training, we observed positive improvements in all four of the cultural self-efficacy subscales: “Cognitive” (mean change = -1.29, t-value= -9.309, P<.001); “Practical” (mean change = -1.85, t-value= -9.319, P<.001); and “Affective” (mean change = -.75, t= value= -7.067, P<.001). We observed the largest magnitude of change with the “Practical” subscale, with a Cohen’s d of 1.16 indicating a very large effect. In addition, we observed positive improvements in all five of the diabetes attitudes subscales: “Need for special training” (mean change= -0.21, t-value= -6.154, P<.001); “Seriousness of type 2 diabetes” (mean change = -.34, t-value= -8.114, P<.001); “Value of tight glucose control” (mean change = -.13, t-value= -3.029, P=.001); “Psychosocial impact of diabetes” (mean change = -.33, t-value= -6.610, P<.001); and “Attitude toward patient autonomy” (mean change = -.17, t-value= -3.889, P<.001). We observed the largest magnitude of change with the “Psychosocial impact of diabetes” subscale, with a Cohen’s d of 0.87 indicating a large effect. We observed only one significant correlation between presence in cine-VR (i.e., Interface Quality) and a positive change score (“Affective” self-efficacy r=.285, P=.026). CONCLUSIONS Our findings support the notion that cine-VR education is an innovative approach to improve cultural self-efficacy and diabetes attitudes among healthcare providers and administrators. The long-term impact of the cine-VR education on cultural self-efficacy and diabetes attitudes needs to be determined. CLINICALTRIAL Not applicable

Background: Diabetes care for older adults is complex and must consider geriatric syndromes, disability, and elder abuse and neglect. Health care providers would benefit from professional training programs that emphasize these risks. One new educational approach is cinematic virtual reality (cine-VR). We conducted a pilot study to evaluate a cine-VR training program based on an older patient with type 2 diabetes and multiple geriatric syndromes who is at risk for elder abuse and neglect. Methods: We employed a single-arm, pre-post-test study to assess changes in attitudes to disability and self-efficacy in identifying and managing elder abuse and neglect. Results: Thirty health care providers completed the pilot study (83.3% women, 86.7% white, 56.7% physicians, 43.4% practiced in outpatient clinics). We observed change in attitudes toward discrimination ( Z = −2.628, P = .009, Cohen’s d = .62). In addition, we observed changes in six of the eight self-efficacy items, including how participants would ask questions about abuse ( Z = −3.221, P = .001, Cohen’s d = .59) and helping an older patient make a report to the police or social services ( Z = −2.087, P = .037, Cohen’s d = .52). In addition, we observed positive changes in understanding the documentation needed to complete whether a patient reports abuse ( Z = −3.598, P < .001) as well as the legal knowledge for how to report elder abuse and neglect ( Z = −2.556, P = .011). Conclusion: Findings from this pilot study suggest that cine-VR training may increase health care providers’ awareness of discrimination and improve self-efficacy toward identifying and managing elder abuse and neglect. Research with a proper control condition is needed to confirm its effectiveness.