Use and appreciation of a tailored counselling intervention for practice nurses: a multi-method process evaluation

Abstract

Background An individually tailored e-learning intervention for practice nurses was developed to improve smoking cessation counselling in Dutch general practice. Aim of this study was to evaluate the use and appreciation of this intervention. Methods Detailed information on usage was collected from log data of the e-learning intervention. A process evaluation was conducted as part of a randomized controlled effectiveness trial of the e-learning intervention. Practice nurses in the intervention group (N=216) of the trial answered questions about their experiences with and appreciation of the intervention during the six-month trial period. Additionally, in-depth feedback was collected through telephone interviews with a subsample of these practice nurses (N=17). Findings During the six-month trial period, e-learning modules with tailored advice were used 262 times (mean 1.78); smoking cessation counselling information 212 times (mean 1.44); and 54 messages were posted on the online forum. Practice nurses evaluated the tailored modules as moderately positive regarding level of intelligibility (2.9/5) and reliability (2.7/5), and perceived content as rather lengthy (3.3/5). Overall the intervention was marked with a sufficient score (7.1/10). Interview data illustrated that practice nurses perceived the intervention as useful, but also complex to navigate through. Time constraints and lack of smokers to counsel were barriers to program use. Discussion Despite rather low use, practice nurses still positively evaluated the e-learning intervention. The intervention's impact could potentially be improved by optimizing its content (e.g. reduce length) and user experience (e.g. simplify navigation), thereby stimulating adequate and more frequent application by its users.