PeerOnCall: Evaluating Implementation of App-Based Peer Support in Canadian Public Safety Organizations
Abstract
1. Introduction
2. Materials and Methods
2.1. Design
2.2. Recruitment
2.3. Intervention
2.4. Data Collection
2.5. Data Analyses
3. Results
3.1. Characteristics of App Users
3.2. App Use Trends
3.3. Qualitative Analyses
3.3.1. Implementation Processes
3.3.2. Facilitators of App Use
3.3.3. Barriers to App Use
“Some people won’t seek help, regardless of the resource or format. There’s also a culture of the strong man, the superhero who doesn’t need anyone and is supposed to provide help rather than seek it. They’re often accustomed to offering help rather than seeking it. So, this change in role is difficult.”
“I think the biggest concern is convincing people this app isn’t something that’s being monitored by our department. There’s this underlying fear that maybe it’s tracking who’s using it or what’s being said. It’s not like a red flag is going to pop up on the inspector’s screen when someone talks to a peer supporter, but that’s what people worry about. They don’t want their struggles to be known by management, even though we’ve tried to assure them that the app is completely private. This fear has definitely kept some people from even downloading it.”
“There’s a real cultural hurdle we’re facing with this app. People are used to doing things a certain way, and introducing something new, especially something digital, is met with skepticism. …. But when there’s this underlying mistrust or lack of understanding, it’s hard to get people on board with any new technology, no matter how good it is.”
4. Discussion
4.1. Patterns of App Use
4.2. Facilitators and Barriers to App Use
4.3. Recommendations for Implementation
4.4. Study Strengths, Limitations, and Future Directions
5. Conclusions
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
Abbreviations
PSP | Public Safety Personnel |
TAL | Technology Adoption Lifecyle |
CFIR | Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research |
mHealth | Mobile health |
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PSP Sector | Orgs (#) | Employees (#) | Downloads (#; %) | # of Times App Opened | Average # App Opens Per User |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Public Safety Communications | 2 | 118 | 54 (45.8) | 279 | 5.16 |
Corrections | 14 | 1117 | 131 (11.7) | 473 | 3.61 |
Fire | 14 | 4629 | 841 (18.2) | 3649 | 4.34 |
Paramedic | 10 | 2092 | 436 (20.8) | 2039 | 4.67 |
Police | 2 | 3320 | 271 (8.2) | 612 | 2.26 |
Total | 42 | 11,401 | 1759 (15.4) | 7052 | 4.01 |
Sector | # Orgs | # Champions | # Baseline Interviews | # Follow-up Interviews |
---|---|---|---|---|
Communications | 2 | 7 | 7 | 6 (3 mo) 4 (6 mo) |
Corrections | 14 | 12 | 12 | 7 (3 mo) 7 (6 mo) |
EMS | 10 | 24 | 14 | 3 (6 mo) |
Fire | 14 | 21 | 21 | 12 (3 mo) 11(6 mo) |
Police | 2 | 5 | 3 | 3 |
Total | 42 | 55 | 57 | 50 |
Barrier | Implementation Strategy |
---|---|
Communication channels |
|
Culture of stoicism |
|
Stigma and confidentiality concerns |
|
Unable to use phone at work |
|
Mistrust, resistance to change |
|
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Moll, S.E.; Ricciardelli, R.; Carleton, R.N.; MacDermid, J.C.; Czarnuch, S.; MacPhee, R.S. PeerOnCall: Evaluating Implementation of App-Based Peer Support in Canadian Public Safety Organizations. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2025, 22, 1269. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph22081269
Moll SE, Ricciardelli R, Carleton RN, MacDermid JC, Czarnuch S, MacPhee RS. PeerOnCall: Evaluating Implementation of App-Based Peer Support in Canadian Public Safety Organizations. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2025; 22(8):1269. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph22081269
Chicago/Turabian StyleMoll, Sandra E., Rosemary Ricciardelli, R. Nicholas Carleton, Joy C. MacDermid, Stephen Czarnuch, and Renée S. MacPhee. 2025. "PeerOnCall: Evaluating Implementation of App-Based Peer Support in Canadian Public Safety Organizations" International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 22, no. 8: 1269. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph22081269
APA StyleMoll, S. E., Ricciardelli, R., Carleton, R. N., MacDermid, J. C., Czarnuch, S., & MacPhee, R. S. (2025). PeerOnCall: Evaluating Implementation of App-Based Peer Support in Canadian Public Safety Organizations. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 22(8), 1269. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph22081269