A qualitative exploration of the experiences of transdermal alcohol sensor devices amongst alcohol service practitioners (South London, UK)

TY - JOUR

T1 - A qualitative exploration of the experiences of transdermal alcohol sensor devices amongst alcohol service practitioners (South London, UK)

AU - Brobbin, Eileen

AU - Parkin, Stephen

AU - Deluca, Paolo

AU - Drummond, Colin

N1 - Funding Information: This is a summary of independent research funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) ARC South London. The views expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the NHS, the NIHR or the Department of Health and Social Care. In the last three years, S.P. has been part-funded by income from research grants obtained from MundiPharma Research Ltd and Camurus AB. SP was Research Fellow at KCL at the time of writing. CD and PD were supported by the NIHR Specialist Biomedical Research Centre for Mental Health at South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust and King’s College London. They were also supported by the NIHR Collaboration for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care at King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Applied Research Collaboration South London (NIHR ARC South London) at King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. CD was supported by an NIHR Senior Investigator Award. We would also like to acknowledge Mr James Gunn for his transcribing services. Publisher Copyright: © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

PY - 2025

Y1 - 2025

N2 - BackgroundA qualitative exploration into the views of alcohol service staff on transdermal alcohol sensors (TAS) within three alcohol services in South London, UK. This study aims to assess the acceptability and feasibility of TAS implementation in alcohol services to provide treatment in clinical settings and identify potential challenges and solutions from the perspective of service providers.MethodsTen participants, in a patient-facing role with alcohol-related treatment, completed a semi-structured interview.ResultsThree core theoretical themes guided the analysis: perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use and attitudes toward use. Participants thought TAS could be useful as part of alcohol treatment in their service. They thought their service users may face some challenges using the TAS, (such as wearing the device; misplacing it, and/or remembering to remove and replace it for bathing). In general, participant attitudes toward TAS tended to be positive but there were some concerns about the cost and staff training. Participants believed their service users would be skeptical about wearing it, but that it could complement their treatment and motivate them toward their treatment goals.ConclusionResults support the acceptability and feasibility of TAS within alcohol services. Participants suggested potential methods of implementing TAS within their treatment plans which could benefit both staff and users. Participants were agreeable and willing to learn more about TAS including the practicalities of implementing TAS. TAS were seen as a potentially useful treatment facilitator, if implemented correctly with sufficiently motivated service users and if specific challenges were addressed.

AB - BackgroundA qualitative exploration into the views of alcohol service staff on transdermal alcohol sensors (TAS) within three alcohol services in South London, UK. This study aims to assess the acceptability and feasibility of TAS implementation in alcohol services to provide treatment in clinical settings and identify potential challenges and solutions from the perspective of service providers.MethodsTen participants, in a patient-facing role with alcohol-related treatment, completed a semi-structured interview.ResultsThree core theoretical themes guided the analysis: perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use and attitudes toward use. Participants thought TAS could be useful as part of alcohol treatment in their service. They thought their service users may face some challenges using the TAS, (such as wearing the device; misplacing it, and/or remembering to remove and replace it for bathing). In general, participant attitudes toward TAS tended to be positive but there were some concerns about the cost and staff training. Participants believed their service users would be skeptical about wearing it, but that it could complement their treatment and motivate them toward their treatment goals.ConclusionResults support the acceptability and feasibility of TAS within alcohol services. Participants suggested potential methods of implementing TAS within their treatment plans which could benefit both staff and users. Participants were agreeable and willing to learn more about TAS including the practicalities of implementing TAS. TAS were seen as a potentially useful treatment facilitator, if implemented correctly with sufficiently motivated service users and if specific challenges were addressed.

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85184452983&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1080/16066359.2024.2309869

DO - 10.1080/16066359.2024.2309869

M3 - Article

SN - 1606-6359

VL - 33

SP - 36

EP - 47

JO - ADDICTION RESEARCH AND THEORY

JF - ADDICTION RESEARCH AND THEORY

IS - 1

ER -