Context: Opioid use disorder (OUD) has a considerable morbidity and mortality in the United States. Healthcare providers are key points of contact for those with OUD; however, some providers may hold stigma toward OUD. Stigma toward OUD can lead to lower quality of care and more negative health outcomes. Thus, new trainings designed to reduce stigma toward OUD while increasing empathy are critical. We created a web-based cinematic virtual reality (cine-VR) training program on OUD for osteopathic medical students.
Objectives: The aim of this pilot study was to assess changes in stigma toward OUD and empathy before and after the online cine-VR training program on OUD.
Methods: We employed a single-arm, pre- and posttest pilot study to assess changes in stigma toward OUD and empathy. Osteopathic medical students from one large medical school in the Midwest with three campuses were invited to participate in the online cine-VR training. Participants completed two surveys before and after the cine-VR training. We performed paired t tests to examine changes in stigma toward OUD and empathy scores before and after the cine-VR OUD training program.
Results: A total of 48 participants completed the training. We observed a decrease in stigma toward OUD posttraining (t=4.402, p<0.001); this change had a Cohen’s d of 0.64, indicating a medium effect. We also observed an increase in participants’ empathy scores posttraining (t=−2.376, p=0.023), with a Cohen’s d of 0.40 signifying a small effect.
Conclusions: Findings from this pilot study suggest that the online cine-VR training may reduce stigma toward OUD while increasing empathy. Future research employing a randomized controlled trial design with a larger, more diverse sample and a proper attention control condition is needed to confirm the effectiveness of the online cine-VR training. If confirmed, this cine-VR training may be an accessible approach to educating osteopathic medical students about OUD.