Youth Violence Prevention Training for Health Professionals

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): In the proposed SBIR project, Vida Health Communications, Inc. (Vida) will produce, evaluate and distribute Youth Violence Prevention Training for Health Professionals. Drawing on the proven advantages of the Internet and DVD technologies, this comprehensive training including a web-based multimedia program for health care professionals will feature a problem-based instructional design. The proposed curriculum will build on and draw from Youth Violence: A Guide for Physicians & Other Health Care Professionals, edited by the project's Principal Expert Consultants Robert Sege, MD, PhD and Vincent Licenziato for the Massachusetts Medical Society. It will address core competencies developed by Academic Centers of Excellence on Youth Violence Prevention, funded by CDC. Video elements will serve as focal points for training, and will include case stories about various forms of youth violence (such as fighting, school conflicts, suicide, bullying, intentional injury by an intimate partner, witnessing violence) and demonstration of interview techniques for assessing risk and resilience in youth. It will include strategies for building partnerships with community resources. There will be an optional "trainers' toolkit" which will expand the possibilities for training across collaborative specialties. The toolkit will include DVDs containing video content from the web-based program, a workshop leader's guide, and learning assessment tools in .pdf format. The overall goal of Phase I is to prove the technical merit and feasibility of the youth violence prevention training program. Phase I will yield a prototype that has been tested for usability and effectiveness with residents in pediatrics, emergency medicine, surgery and family practice, and with hospital nurses working in those departments. Specific aims are (1) establish the program content, using key informant interviews and expert panel review (2) produce a prototype of the program, including one module with a video case study and demonstration of interviewing methods, and (3) evaluate the content and feasibility of the program, via expert review and focus groups. A Phase II award will fund the development of the full program and an evaluation with a rigorous experimental design. The final product of this SBIR will be a state-of-the-science multi-media training program for health professionals with demonstrated usefulness across professional disciplines, practice specialties, and levels of education. 7. Project Narrative - Relevance to Public Health Intentional injuries remain among the leading causes of death and disability for children and adolescents in the United States and the economic impact of youth violence - medical expenses, lost productivity, reduced quality of life - is thought to exceed $158 billion per year. Studies show that most physicians and other health care professionals do not include violence prevention as a part of routine care. This research will result in a science-based and cost effective training for clinicians poised to play a crucial role in youth violence prevention and intervention.