Methods Inf Med 2010; 49(04): 406-411
DOI: 10.3414/ME9311
Special Topic – Original Articles
Schattauer GmbH

Automating Individualized Coaching and Authentic Role-play Practice for Brief Intervention Training

B. Hayes-Roth
1   Lifelike Solutions, Inc., Atherton, California, USA
,
R. Saker
1   Lifelike Solutions, Inc., Atherton, California, USA
,
K. Amano
2   El Camino College, Torrance, California, USA
› Author Affiliations
Further Information

Publication History



20 April 2010

Publication Date:
17 January 2018 (online)

Summary

Objectives: Brief intervention helps to reduce alcohol abuse, but there is a need for accessible, cost-effective training of clinicians. This study evaluated STAR Workshop, a web-based training system that automates efficacious techniques for individualized coaching and authentic role-play practice.

Methods: We compared STAR Workshop to a web-based, self-guided e-book and a no-treatment control, for training the Engage for Change (E4C) brief intervention protocol. Subjects were medical and nursing students. Brief written skill probes tested subjects’ performance of individual protocol steps, in different clinical scenarios, at three test times: pre-training, post-training, and post-delay (two weeks). Subjects also did live phone interviews with a standardized patient, post-delay.

Results: STAR subjects performed significantly better than both other groups. They showed significantly greater improvement from pre-training probes to post-training and post-delay probes. They scored significantly higher on post-delay phone interviews.

Conclusion: STAR Workshop appears to be an accessible, cost-effective approach for training students to use the E4C protocol for brief intervention in alcohol abuse. It may also be useful for training other clinical interviewing protocols.

 
  • References

  • 1 Saitz R. Clinical Practice. Unhealthy Alcohol Use. New Engl J Med 2005; 352: 596-607.
  • 2 Harwood HJ. Updating Estimates of the Economic Costs of Alcohol Abuse in the United States: Estimates, Update Methods and Data. Report prepared by the Lewin Group for the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, 2000
  • 3 Bien TH, Miller WR, Tonigan JS. Brief interventions for alcohol problems: A review. Addiction 1993; 88: 315-336.
  • 4 Fleming MF, Barry KL, Manwell LB, Johnson K, London R. Brief physician advice for problem alcohol drinkers: A randomized trial in community-based primary care practices. JAMA 1997; 277: 1039-1045.
  • 5 D’Onofrio G, Degutis LC. Screening and brief intervention for alcohol problems in the emergency department: a systematic review. Acad Emerg Med 2002; 9: 627-638.
  • 6 Levine J. Docs Miss Alcohol Abuse – Almost Always. WebMD Medical News Archive, May 10, 2000
  • 7 Fleming MF. Strategies to Increase Alcohol Screening in Health Care Settings. Alcohol, Health & Research World 1997; 21: 340-347.
  • 8 Commonwealth Fund Task Force on Academic Health Centers.. Training Tomorrow’s Doctors: The Medical Education Mission of Academic Health Centers. 2002
  • 9 Van Ments M. The effective use of role-play: practical techniques for improving learning. London: Kogan Page; 1999
  • 10 American Association of Medical Colleges.. Emerging Trends in the Use of Standardized Patients. Contemporary Issues in Medical Education 1989
  • 11 Hayes-Roth B, Amano K, Saker R, Sephton T. Training Brief Intervention with a Virtual Coach and Virtual Patients. Abstract of Invited Talk. Proc. of Cybery Therapy Conf, Interactive Media Institute San Diego, CA: 2004
  • 12 Druckman D, Bjork R. Learning, Remembering, Believing: Enhancing Human Performance. Washington, D. C.: National Academy Press; 1994
  • 13 Issenberg SB, Mcgaghie WC, Petrusa ER, Gordon DL, Scalese RJ. Features and uses of high-fidelity medical simulations that lead to effective learning: a BEME systematic review. Medical Teacher 2005; 27: 10-28.
  • 14 Miller WR, Rollnick S. Motivational Interviewing: Preparing People for Change. London: Guilford Press; 2002
  • 15 Prochaska JO, DiClemente CC. In search of how people change: Applications to addictive behaviors. American Psychologist 1992 pp 1102-1114.
  • 16 Hayes-Roth B, Johnson MV, van Gent R, Wescourt K. Staffing the Web with interactive characters. Communications of the ACM, March, 1999