JMIR mHealth and uHealth · Published 2026-06-22 · DOI 10.2196/85658
Sandra Moll, Melissa Parker, Peter Smith, Edward Sykes
Abstract BackgroundThere is an urgent and critical need to support the mental health of health care providers, given high rates of stress and burnout. Although the issues are complex, digital access to information and support can help address the needs, as technology can facilitate on-demand links to private, customized resources, including peer support. Beyond Silence (McMaster University) is an evidence-informed mobile health platform co-designed with health care workers and grounded in prior evidence that mental health literacy and peer support can reduce stigma and facilitate earlier help-seeking. ObjectiveThis study aimed to (1) explore how health care workers across diverse health care settings use the app and (2) identify opportunities and barriers to implementation. MethodsA multiple-case study framework, informed by the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR), was applied to capture 4 months of implementation across a purposive sample of 7 diverse Canadian health care organizations. Implementation within each organization was led by designated organizational champions who leveraged existing communication channels and standardized promotional materials to invite employees to voluntarily download and use the app. Implementation outcomes were assessed using app analytics (downloads and feature use) and semistructured baseline and follow-up interviews with organizational champions to explore contextual influences on uptake. ResultsApproximately 1066 employees downloaded the app over the 4-month period, ranging from <2% to >45% of employees across the 7 organizations. Interviews with 28 organizational champions noted that there was good leadership support for the technology, aligning with their mission to address employee mental health. Barriers to use, however, included workplace culture surrounding mental health and help-seeking, lack of awareness about when and how to use the app, and infrastructure-related challenges, such as limited time and a lack of private spaces to download and use the technology. ConclusionsEffective implementation is a precondition for positive outcomes; therefore, strategies are needed to optimize technology implementation. Recommendations include evaluating organizational readiness, building mental health literacy, creating a multimodal communication and implementation plan, addressing technology requirements, and embedding the technology into organizational policies and practices. This study highlights key challenges in the implementation of the Beyond Silence peer support platform for health care workers, including slow adoption linked to mental health stigma, competing demands, and limited frontline engagement. Addressing these barriers will require innovative, trust-building strategies to support meaningful uptake and sustained use.
Abstract from DOAJ. Public domain (CC0 1.0).
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Moll, S., Parker, M., Smith, P., et al. (2026). Adoption of App-Based Peer Support by Canadian Health Care Providers: Mixed Methods Organizational Implementation Study. JMIR mHealth and uHealth. https://doi.org/10.2196/85658