Realist evaluation of the impact, viability and transferability of an alcohol harm reduction support programme based on mental health recovery: the Vitae study protocol

INTRODUCTION: Addiction is considered a chronic disease associated with a high rate of relapse as a consequence of the addictive condition. Most of the current therapeutic work focuses on the notion of relapse prevention or avoidance and the control of its determinants. Since only a small portion of patients can access alcohol addiction treatment, it is crucial to find a way to offer new support towards safe consumptions, reductions or cessations. The harm reduction (HR) approach and mental health recovery perspective offers another way to support the patient with alcohol addiction. Vitae is a realist evaluation of the impact, viability and transferability of the IACA! programme, an HR programme based on the principle of psychosocial recovery for people with alcohol use disorders. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: The Vitae study adheres to the theory-driven evaluation framework where the realist evaluation method and contribution analysis are used to explore the effects, mechanisms and influence of context on the outcomes and to develop and adjust an intervention theory. This study is a 12-month, multi-case, longitudinal descriptive pilot study using mixed methods. It is multi-centred, and carried out in 10 addiction treatment or prevention centres. In this study, outcomes are related to the evolution of alcohol use and the beneficiaries trajectory in terms of psychosocial recovery during these 12 months after the start of IACA!. The target number of participants are 100 beneficiaries and 23 professionals. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: This research was approved by the Committee for the Protection of Persons Ouest V n°: 21/008-3HPS and was reported to the French National Agency for the Safety of Health Products. All participants will provide consent prior to participation. The results will be reported in international peer-reviewed journals and presented at scientific and public conferences. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBERS: NCT04927455; ID-RCB2020-A03371-38.