Accessibility Statement Skip Navigation
  • Why PRWeb
  • How It Works
  • Who Uses It
  • Pricing
  • Login
  • GDPR
  • Create a Free Account
Return to PRWeb homepage
  • News
  • Resources
  • Contact
When typing in this field, a list of search results will appear and be automatically updated as you type.

Searching for your content...

No results found. Please change your search terms and try again.
  • News in Focus
      • Browse News Releases

      • All News Releases
      • Multimedia Gallery

      • All Multimedia
      • All Photos
      • All Videos
  • Business & Money
      • Auto & Transportation

      • Aerospace, Defense
      • Air Freight
      • Airlines & Aviation
      • Automotive
      • Maritime & Shipbuilding
      • Railroads and Intermodal Transportation
      • Supply Chain/Logistics
      • Transportation, Trucking & Railroad
      • Travel
      • Trucking and Road Transportation
      • View All Auto & Transportation

      • Business Technology

      • Blockchain
      • Broadcast Tech
      • Computer & Electronics
      • Computer Hardware
      • Computer Software
      • Data Analytics
      • Electronic Commerce
      • Electronic Components
      • Electronic Design Automation
      • Financial Technology
      • High Tech Security
      • Internet Technology
      • Nanotechnology
      • Networks
      • Peripherals
      • Semiconductors
      • View All Business Technology

      • Entertain­ment & Media

      • Advertising
      • Art
      • Books
      • Entertainment
      • Film and Motion Picture
      • Magazines
      • Music
      • Publishing & Information Services
      • Radio & Podcast
      • Television
      • View All Entertain­ment & Media

      • Financial Services & Investing

      • Accounting News & Issues
      • Acquisitions, Mergers and Takeovers
      • Banking & Financial Services
      • Bankruptcy
      • Bond & Stock Ratings
      • Conference Call Announcements
      • Contracts
      • Cryptocurrency
      • Dividends
      • Earnings
      • Earnings Forecasts & Projections
      • Financing Agreements
      • Insurance
      • Investments Opinions
      • Joint Ventures
      • Mutual Funds
      • Private Placement
      • Real Estate
      • Restructuring & Recapitalization
      • Sales Reports
      • Shareholder Activism
      • Shareholder Meetings
      • Stock Offering
      • Stock Split
      • Venture Capital
      • View All Financial Services & Investing

      • General Business

      • Awards
      • Commercial Real Estate
      • Corporate Expansion
      • Earnings
      • Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG)
      • Human Resource & Workforce Management
      • Licensing
      • New Products & Services
      • Obituaries
      • Outsourcing Businesses
      • Overseas Real Estate (non-US)
      • Personnel Announcements
      • Real Estate Transactions
      • Residential Real Estate
      • Small Business Services
      • Socially Responsible Investing
      • Surveys, Polls and Research
      • Trade Show News
      • View All General Business

  • Science & Tech
      • Consumer Technology

      • Artificial Intelligence
      • Blockchain
      • Cloud Computing/Internet of Things
      • Computer Electronics
      • Computer Hardware
      • Computer Software
      • Consumer Electronics
      • Cryptocurrency
      • Data Analytics
      • Electronic Commerce
      • Electronic Gaming
      • Financial Technology
      • Mobile Entertainment
      • Multimedia & Internet
      • Peripherals
      • Social Media
      • STEM (Science, Tech, Engineering, Math)
      • Supply Chain/Logistics
      • Wireless Communications
      • View All Consumer Technology

      • Energy & Natural Resources

      • Alternative Energies
      • Chemical
      • Electrical Utilities
      • Gas
      • General Manufacturing
      • Mining
      • Mining & Metals
      • Oil & Energy
      • Oil and Gas Discoveries
      • Utilities
      • Water Utilities
      • View All Energy & Natural Resources

      • Environ­ment

      • Conservation & Recycling
      • Environmental Issues
      • Environmental Policy
      • Environmental Products & Services
      • Green Technology
      • Natural Disasters
      • View All Environ­ment

      • Heavy Industry & Manufacturing

      • Aerospace & Defense
      • Agriculture
      • Chemical
      • Construction & Building
      • General Manufacturing
      • HVAC (Heating, Ventilation and Air-Conditioning)
      • Machinery
      • Machine Tools, Metalworking and Metallurgy
      • Mining
      • Mining & Metals
      • Paper, Forest Products & Containers
      • Precious Metals
      • Textiles
      • Tobacco
      • View All Heavy Industry & Manufacturing

      • Telecomm­unications

      • Carriers and Services
      • Mobile Entertainment
      • Networks
      • Peripherals
      • Telecommunications Equipment
      • Telecommunications Industry
      • VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol)
      • Wireless Communications
      • View All Telecomm­unications

  • Lifestyle & Health
      • Consumer Products & Retail

      • Animals & Pets
      • Beers, Wines and Spirits
      • Beverages
      • Bridal Services
      • Cannabis
      • Cosmetics and Personal Care
      • Fashion
      • Food & Beverages
      • Furniture and Furnishings
      • Home Improvement
      • Household, Consumer & Cosmetics
      • Household Products
      • Jewelry
      • Non-Alcoholic Beverages
      • Office Products
      • Organic Food
      • Product Recalls
      • Restaurants
      • Retail
      • Supermarkets
      • Toys
      • View All Consumer Products & Retail

      • Entertain­ment & Media

      • Advertising
      • Art
      • Books
      • Entertainment
      • Film and Motion Picture
      • Magazines
      • Music
      • Publishing & Information Services
      • Radio & Podcast
      • Television
      • View All Entertain­ment & Media

      • Health

      • Biometrics
      • Biotechnology
      • Clinical Trials & Medical Discoveries
      • Dentistry
      • FDA Approval
      • Fitness/Wellness
      • Health Care & Hospitals
      • Health Insurance
      • Infection Control
      • International Medical Approval
      • Medical Equipment
      • Medical Pharmaceuticals
      • Mental Health
      • Pharmaceuticals
      • Supplementary Medicine
      • View All Health

      • Sports

      • General Sports
      • Outdoors, Camping & Hiking
      • Sporting Events
      • Sports Equipment & Accessories
      • View All Sports

      • Travel

      • Amusement Parks and Tourist Attractions
      • Gambling & Casinos
      • Hotels and Resorts
      • Leisure & Tourism
      • Outdoors, Camping & Hiking
      • Passenger Aviation
      • Travel Industry
      • View All Travel

  • Policy & Public Interest
      • Policy & Public Interest

      • Advocacy Group Opinion
      • Animal Welfare
      • Congressional & Presidential Campaigns
      • Corporate Social Responsibility
      • Domestic Policy
      • Economic News, Trends, Analysis
      • Education
      • Environmental
      • European Government
      • FDA Approval
      • Federal and State Legislation
      • Federal Executive Branch & Agency
      • Foreign Policy & International Affairs
      • Homeland Security
      • Labor & Union
      • Legal Issues
      • Natural Disasters
      • Not For Profit
      • Patent Law
      • Public Safety
      • Trade Policy
      • U.S. State Policy
      • View All Policy & Public Interest

  • People & Culture
      • People & Culture

      • Aboriginal, First Nations & Native American
      • African American
      • Asian American
      • Children
      • Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
      • Hispanic
      • Lesbian, Gay & Bisexual
      • Men's Interest
      • People with Disabilities
      • Religion
      • Senior Citizens
      • Veterans
      • Women
      • View All People & Culture

  • Hamburger menu
  • Cision PRWeb provides efficient communication tools to continuously engage with target audiences across multiple online channels
  • Create a Free Account
    • ALL CONTACT INFO
    • Contact Us


      11AM ET Sunday – 8PM ET Friday

  • Send a Release
  • Sign up
  • Log in
  • Resources
  • RSS
  • GDPR
  • News in Focus
    • Browse All News
    • Multimedia Gallery
  • Business & Money
    • Auto & Transportation
    • Business Technology
    • Entertain­ment & Media
    • Financial Services & Investing
    • General Business
  • Science & Tech
    • Consumer Technology
    • Energy & Natural Resources
    • Environ­ment
    • Heavy Industry & Manufacturing
    • Telecomm­unications
  • Lifestyle & Health
    • Consumer Products & Retail
    • Entertain­ment & Media
    • Health
    • Sports
    • Travel
  • Policy & Public Interest
  • People & Culture
    • People & Culture
  • Send a Release
  • Sign up
  • Log in
  • Resources
  • RSS
  • GDPR
  • Send a Release
  • Sign up
  • Log in
  • Resources
  • RSS
  • GDPR
  • Send a Release
  • Sign up
  • Log in
  • Resources
  • RSS
  • GDPR

Breakthrough Virtual Training Helps Doctors Save Lives During the Holidays by Curbing Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
  • USA - English


News provided by

SIMmersion

Dec 03, 2013, 03:00 ET

Share this article

Share toX

Share this article

Share toX

SIMmersion Alcohol Screening and Brief Intervention Training System
SIMmersion Alcohol Screening and Brief Intervention Training System

Columbia, MD (PRWEB) December 03, 2013 -- Whether it’s beer during Thanksgiving football games, spiked egg nog at holiday parties, or champagne on New Year’s Eve, there are plenty of opportunities to drink during the holidays. More chances to drink, however, means more chances to drink beyond healthy limits, or to drink and drive; a decision that’s just as dangerous for occasional drinkers as for dependent drinkers grappling with alcoholism.

Research shows that when doctors intervene with their patients, alcohol consumption drops and stays down.

Post this

“The holiday season can be an especially dangerous time on our nation’s roadways due to drunk drivers,” said former Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood in 2012. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that drunk drivers caused more than 10,000 deaths in 2012, an increase of nearly 5% from 2011.

Just as law enforcement is on high alert to stop drunk drivers during the holidays, the country’s medical professionals are doing their part to help patients make safer choices about alcohol long before they get behind the wheel. To support doctors across the country, SIMmersion joined forces with the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) and researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison to create the Alcohol Screening & Brief Intervention simulation. This groundbreaking training program lets medical professionals talk to a simulated patient, Christy Johnson, about her potential for alcohol abuse and steps she can take to stay safe.

"Research shows that when doctors screen and intervene with their patients, alcohol consumption drops and stays down,” says Dale Olsen, PhD, President of SIMmersion. “But due to a training gap, many doctors were having problems talking about alcohol use effectively. Talking to Christy gives them realistic practice in what to say, when to say it, and how to say it to help patients change their behavior.”

In the simulation, Christy has come to the doctor’s office for treatment of a minor injury after a car accident. It’s up to the doctor playing the simulation to decide what screening questions to ask to determine her risk level for alcohol misuse, and what appropriate steps to take depending on the answers she gives.

Christy is portrayed in video by a professional actress, so speaking with her feels as real as a face-to-face conversation. Her responses vary from play to play, as does her level of alcohol misuse. For example, sometimes she’s a low-risk drinker who just needs support and encouragement to keep making safe choices. In other conversations, she’s a dependent drinker whose life is being seriously impacted by her alcoholism, and a referral to expert counselors is the healthiest path forward for her. Because SIMmersion’s PeopleSim technology provides Christy with life-like emotions, the quality of the doctor’s “bedside manner” during the entire conversation has a huge impact on how forthcoming and friendly she is. The variety of realistic responses Christy brings to the conversation makes the training highly applicable to interventions with real-world patients.

In addition to the conversation with Christy, the training system includes extensive e-learning drawn from NIAAA research which doctors can review at any time. An on-screen coach offers feedback on everything said during the conversation to make the most of every teachable moment. In a comprehensive after-action review, doctors can see measures of their performance and receive constructive feedback on how to improve. “The freedom to make mistakes is a huge part of learning,” says Dr. Olsen. “It’s much better for doctors to make those mistakes in a SIMmersion system than by trial-and-error on real patients.”

A study at the University of Wisconsin-Madison found that medical professionals who trained with the Alcohol Screening and Brief Intervention simulation were significantly more effective at screening and intervening with human patients than practitioners who didn’t receive the training. “The reviewers who watched the videotaped appointments could tell which doctors had taken the training, and which doctors hadn’t,” says Dr. Paul Grossberg, MD, of the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Since Alcohol Screening and Brief Intervention is now online at http://www.SIMmersion.com/portal and is accessible to doctors anywhere, more patients than ever may be receiving the benefits of a supportive intervention about their drinking as the holiday season begins. That’s something all of us can celebrate.

About SIMmersion
SIMmersion’s mission is to train communication skills faster and more effectively by combining the world's most realistic simulated experiences with highly interactive training content and extensive user feedback. For more information, contact SIMmersion online or call at 443-283-2555.

Dale Olsen, SIMmersion, http://www.SIMmersion.com, +1 4432832504, [email protected]

Modal title

SIMmersion
SIMmersion
University of Wisconsin--Madison
University of Wisconsin--Madison
NIAAA
NIAAA
SIMmersion University of Wisconsin--Madison NIAAA

Contact PRWeb

  • 11AM ET Sunday – 8PM ET Friday
  • Contact Us

About PRWeb

  • About PRWeb
  • Partners
  • Partnership Programs
  • Editorial Guidelines
  • Resources

Why PRWeb

  • Why PRWeb
  • How It Works
  • Who Uses It
  • Pricing

Accounts

  • Create a Free Account
  • Log in
  • Contact Us

Do not sell or share my personal information:

  • Submit via [email protected] 
  • Call Privacy toll-free: 877-297-8921

Contact Cision

Products

About

My Services
  • All News Releases
  • Online Member Center
  • ProfNet
Cision Distribution Helpline
888-776-0942
  • Legal
  • Site Map
  • RSS
  • Cookie Settings
Copyright © 2025 Cision US Inc.