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VA Firearms Safe Handling Virtual Reality (VR) Experience
Share PrintThe Firearms Safe Handling VR experience is a virtual and immersive introduction to firearms, ammunition, and proper safety techniques for VA Healthcare providers, designed to increase familiarity with firearms. The innovation addresses the hesitancy in firearms conversations among VA providers, which can impact Veterans’ confidence in providers and hinder willingness to discuss firearms ownership and safe storage. This user-centric solution is developed using a Human-Centered Design approach, providing a non-threatening environment for users to learn relevant terminology and best practices in firearms safety.
Origin:
October 2021, Office of Healthcare Innovation and Learning and Office of Mental Health and Suicide Prevention
Adoptions:
10 successful, 2 in-progress
Partners:
Mental Health and Suicide Prevention
Recent Updates
Overview
Problem
The lack of familiarity with firearms among VA healthcare providers creates hesitancy in conversations about firearms, which can diminish Veterans’ confidence in providers and affect their willingness to discuss firearms ownership and safety. This could result in inadequate care for Veterans in crisis, including those at risk of suicide. Therefore, there is
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The lack of familiarity with firearms among VA healthcare providers creates hesitancy in conversations about firearms, which can diminish Veterans’ confidence in providers and affect their willingness to discuss firearms ownership and safety. This could result in inadequate care for Veterans in crisis, including those at risk of suicide. Therefore, there is a need to increase VA healthcare providers’ familiarity with firearms to better support Veterans in crisis.
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Images
Handgun and gun lock
Automatic rifle
Solution
The Firearms Safe Handling VR experience is an accessible solution that aims to increase VA healthcare providers’ familiarity with firearms in a non-threatening environment. The virtual experience provides an opportunity for users to learn about firearms and ammunition, and methods to safely secure and store them. By practicing making “unsafe” firearms “safe
...
The Firearms Safe Handling VR experience is an accessible solution that aims to increase VA healthcare providers’ familiarity with firearms in a non-threatening environment. The virtual experience provides an opportunity for users to learn about firearms and ammunition, and methods to safely secure and store them. By practicing making “unsafe” firearms “safe” in a secure immersive environment, users can learn relevant terminology and proper techniques. The solution was developed using a Human-Centered Design approach, keeping the user at the center of the application design process.
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more
Images
Firearms Safe Handling logo
Results
Firearms Safe Handling VR application received positive feedback during implementation from end-users with 99% of participants saying they would recommend this training to other VHA staff. Users have validated the basis of the application, learned new methods and ideas from the content, and shared their appreciation of the immersive environment as a means o
...
Firearms Safe Handling VR application received positive feedback during implementation from end-users with 99% of participants saying they would recommend this training to other VHA staff. Users have validated the basis of the application, learned new methods and ideas from the content, and shared their appreciation of the immersive environment as a means of learning in a safe way.
“It was helpful to be exposed to a firearm in a safe way,” stated a VA employee. See more
“It was helpful to be exposed to a firearm in a safe way,” stated a VA employee. See more
Diffusion tracker
Does not include Clinical Resource Hubs (CRH)
Implementation
Timeline
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Acquire headsets
Firearms Safe Handling application runs on Meta Quest 2 or Meta Quest 3 virtual reality headsets. -
Upload application
Reach out to VA Immersive via email at VAimmersive@va.gov to load the application on the headsets. -
Train staff on use of application
Get heads in headsets to walk through the application at their pace to allow them to teach others.
Departments
- Suicide prevention
- Home Based Primary Care
- Mental health care
Core Resources
| Resource type | Resource description |
|---|---|
PEOPLE |
|
TOOLS |
|
Files
- A guide created by VA Immersive to increase knowledge of XR Intro Guide to XR
- A playbook created by VA Immersive to help with implementation VA Immersive Playbook
Risks and mitigations
| Risk | Mitigation |
|---|---|
| Cleanliness of headset | Use of Sani wipes or CleanBox to decontaminate headsets between uses. |
| Space | Create a safety boundary in the room to avoid any unnecessary injury. |
Contact
Comment
Comments and replies are disabled for retired innovations and non-VA users.
Email VAImmersive@va.gov with questions about this innovation.
About
Origin story
The VA Firearms Safety Handling VR Experience emerged through a collaboration between the Office of Healthcare Innovation and Learning (OHIL) and the Office of Mental Health and Suicide Prevention (OMHSP). OHIL works to identify problems that advancing technology, like virtual reality, can solve. Subject matter experts from both offices and Lethal Means Safe
...
The VA Firearms Safety Handling VR Experience emerged through a collaboration between the Office of Healthcare Innovation and Learning (OHIL) and the Office of Mental Health and Suicide Prevention (OMHSP). OHIL works to identify problems that advancing technology, like virtual reality, can solve. Subject matter experts from both offices and Lethal Means Safety & Suicide Prevention Officers jointly identified a pain point around gun safety for Veterans and VA Staff.
Through discussions with VA staff to understand their familiarity with gun safety, OHIL and OMHSP identified notable issues such as VA Staff feeling uncomfortable discussing gun safety with Veterans and not having the knowledge to discuss gun safety tools, such as gunlocks. This highlighted the need to provide VA Staff with the tools to discuss comprehensive firearms safety comfortably and knowledgably with Veterans. This training was designed to provide VA staff with a safe training environment to learn proper gun handling and gun safety and to emphasize how important conversations around gun safety are to suicide prevention.
Firearms Safe Handling VR experience has been phenomenal! Providers get a "hands-on" meaningful learning experience that sticks with them and leads to conversations prevent deaths by suicide in the Veteran community. It has very successful in VISN 1 and is sought after by mental health employees.