Implementation of a Novel Virtual Reality Intervention to Support Clinicians' Firearm Safety Counseling Behaviors

The American Academy of Pediatrics urges pediatricians to counsel parents on the dangers of childhood access to firearms and restrict access through safe storage practices. However, evidence suggests that most pediatricians do not provide firearm-related counseling in real-world clinical practice. This is notable as firearm-related injury is now the leading cause of death in children aged 1-19 years in the United States. Virtual reality (VR) is a type of simulation-based medical education that allows users to interact with virtual environments and characters in a seemingly realistic way. Investigators developed Resident Education And Counseling on Household (REACH) Firearm Safety, a VR curriculum to allow pediatricians to practice screening and counseling on firearm safety. The objective of this proposal is to assess the efficacy of REACH Firearm Safety, along with key implementation metrics, to justify and inform scale and distribution of the training approach. To achieve the objective, Investigators will: (1) Conduct a multi-site two-arm randomized controlled pilot study assessing the efficacy of REACH Firearm Safety and (2) Measure acceptability, appropriateness, fidelity, feasibility, and cost of implementation of REACH Firearm Safety. The proposed research is significant and innovative because it is the first rigorous effort to evaluate the efficacy of VR as a training platform to teach communication skills related to firearm safety counseling.