Accepted for/Published in: JMIR Nursing
Date Submitted: Jun 16, 2025
Open Peer Review Period: Jun 19, 2025 - Aug 14, 2025
Date Accepted: Dec 23, 2025
(closed for review but you can still tweet)
Warning: This is an author submission that is not peer-reviewed or edited. Preprints - unless they show as "accepted" - should not be relied on to guide clinical practice or health-related behavior and should not be reported in news media as established information.
Feasibility of the Relational Playbook Nurse Leadership Development Program Using the Whistle Systems Employee Recognition Platform: A Case Study
ABSTRACT
Background:
Leadership development programs in healthcare often fail due to their lack of adaptability to the schedules of busy clinicians. This study addresses the need for scalable, flexible programs tailored to nurse leaders.
Objective:
This case study evaluated the acceptability, appropriateness, and feasibility of the Relational Playbook, an evidence-based leadership development program developed in the Veterans Health Administration, delivered through the Whistle Systems employee recognition web and mobile applications.
Methods:
A one-year case study approach was deployed using descriptive survey data and qualitative interview analysis. The Playbookâs educational content and interventions were hosted on the Whistle platform, which integrates behavioral science and gamification strategies. Content was delivered weekly via app-based nudge notifications and email. Engagement metrics included activity completion rates. User experience data were collected through weekly reflection surveys (with Likert scale responses and open-text options), monthly check-ins, and a post-implementation acceptability, appropriateness, and feasibility survey and interview. Descriptive statistics summarized engagement levels and trends, while qualitative data were analyzed using content analysis to identify recurring concepts. Quantitative and qualitative data were analyzed sequentially for comprehensive insights.
Results:
Five cardiology nurse practitioners (NPs) from a large academic medical center, providing both inpatient and outpatient care, participated. The Whistle platform was deemed an acceptable, appropriate and feasible technology for delivering the Playbook content. Participants valued the weekly nudges, microlearning content, and flexibility of web and mobile applications. The Playbook content supported personal growth and fostered positive shifts in attitudes toward work.
Conclusions:
Delivering leadership development content through the Whistle platform is an acceptable approach to support the growth and well-being of busy nurse leaders.
Citation
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Copyright
© The authors. All rights reserved. This is a privileged document currently under peer-review/community review (or an accepted/rejected manuscript). Authors have provided JMIR Publications with an exclusive license to publish this preprint on it's website for review and ahead-of-print citation purposes only. While the final peer-reviewed paper may be licensed under a cc-by license on publication, at this stage authors and publisher expressively prohibit redistribution of this draft paper other than for review purposes.