Determining the Acceptability of Targeted Apps for High-Risk Alcohol Consumption in Nurses: A Qualitative Study.

Aim: To determine the acceptability of targeted apps and provide recommendations for the implementation of and app addressing high risk alcohol use to nurses.

Design: A qualitative descriptive study design, using the Behavioural Change Wheel implementation framework.

Methods: Semi-structured interviews with 42 Australian nurses were subject to structural coding using the Capability, Opportunity, and Motivation (COM-B) model linked to the Behaviour Change Wheel. Qualitative data has been reported using the COREQ framework.

Results: Most participants agreed that targeted apps would appeal to nurses, provided specific design considerations were included. These considerations related to privacy and confidentiality, strategies to target the app to nurses across wide age and experience ranges and identified the need for a considered campaign to both launch the app and position it with existing interventions for high-risk alcohol use.

Conclusions: Our findings indicate that a targeted app to reduce high-risk alcohol consumption could be acceptable to nurses, however the needs to include specific components suitable for nurses. We recommend further research into specific components of a targeted app, leading to a co-design process where nurses can determine app components and function. Summary of relevanceHigh-risk alcohol consumption has been shown to be an issue amongst nurses.Targeted apps have been shown to have an effect in addressing high-risk alcohol consumption among specific groups.However, consideration for privacy of data provided to the app must be considered, especially given the link between disciplinary action, loss of role identity, and nurse suicide.This paper indicates that nurses would accept a targeted app, subject to specific design considerations, particularly related to confidentiality.