Pilot study to evaluate usability and acceptability of the 'Animated Alcohol Assessment Tool' in Russian primary healthcare

Veronika Wiemker; Anna Bunova; Maria Neufeld; Boris Gornyi; Elena Yurasova; Stefan Konigorski; Anna Kalinina; Anna Kontsevaya; Carina Ferreira-Borges; Charlotte Probst

doi:10.1177/20552076211074491

Pilot study to evaluate usability and acceptability of the 'Animated Alcohol Assessment Tool' in Russian primary healthcare

Digit Health. 2022 Mar 1:8:20552076211074491. doi: 10.1177/20552076211074491. eCollection 2022 Jan-Dec.

Authors

Veronika Wiemker¹, Anna Bunova², Maria Neufeld^{3

4

5}, Boris Gornyi², Elena Yurasova⁶, Stefan Konigorski^{7

8}, Anna Kalinina², Anna Kontsevaya², Carina Ferreira-Borges³, Charlotte Probst^{1

5

9}

Affiliations

¹ Heidelberg Institute of Global Health, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany.
² National Medical Research Center for Therapy and Preventive Medicine of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, Moscow, Russian Federation.
³ WHO European Office for the Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases (NCD Office), Moscow, Russian Federation.
⁴ Institute of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Dresden University of Technology, Dresden, Germany.
⁵ Institute for Mental Health Policy Research, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, ON, Canada.
⁶ WHO Office in the Russian Federation, Moscow, Russian Federation.
⁷ Digital Health Center, Hasso Plattner Institute for Digital Engineering, University of Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany.
⁸ Hasso Plattner Institute for Digital Health at Mount Sinai, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, NY, USA.
⁹ Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.

Abstract

Background and aims: Accurate and user-friendly assessment tools quantifying alcohol consumption are a prerequisite to effective prevention and treatment programmes, including Screening and Brief Intervention. Digital tools offer new potential in this field. We developed the 'Animated Alcohol Assessment Tool' (AAA-Tool), a mobile app providing an interactive version of the World Health Organization's Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) that facilitates the description of individual alcohol consumption via culturally informed animation features. This pilot study evaluated the Russia-specific version of the Animated Alcohol Assessment Tool with regard to (1) its usability and acceptability in a primary healthcare setting, (2) the plausibility of its alcohol consumption assessment results and (3) the adequacy of its Russia-specific vessel and beverage selection.

Methods: Convenience samples of 55 patients (47% female) and 15 healthcare practitioners (80% female) in 2 Russian primary healthcare facilities self-administered the Animated Alcohol Assessment Tool and rated their experience on the Mobile Application Rating Scale - User Version. Usage data was automatically collected during app usage, and additional feedback on regional content was elicited in semi-structured interviews.

Results: On average, patients completed the Animated Alcohol Assessment Tool in 6:38 min (SD = 2.49, range = 3.00-17.16). User satisfaction was good, with all subscale Mobile Application Rating Scale - User Version scores averaging >3 out of 5 points. A majority of patients (53%) and practitioners (93%) would recommend the tool to 'many people' or 'everyone'. Assessed alcohol consumption was plausible, with a low number (14%) of logically impossible entries. Most patients reported the Animated Alcohol Assessment Tool to reflect all vessels (78%) and all beverages (71%) they typically used.

Conclusion: High acceptability ratings by patients and healthcare practitioners, acceptable completion time, plausible alcohol usage assessment results and perceived adequacy of region-specific content underline the Animated Alcohol Assessment Tool's potential to provide a novel approach to alcohol assessment in primary healthcare. After its validation, the Animated Alcohol Assessment Tool might contribute to reducing alcohol-related harm by facilitating Screening and Brief Intervention implementation in Russia and beyond.

Keywords: Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test; Alcohol use assessment; Russia; acceptability; digital health; mobile applications; primary healthcare; screening tools; usability.