BRIEF REPORT Developing a web-based intervention to increase motivation to change and encourage uptake of specialist face-to-face treatment by hospital inpatients: Change Drinking BRIDGETTE M. BEWICK 1 , KATRINA RUMBALL 2 , JACQUELINE C. BIRTWISTLE 1 , JOSEPH R. SHAW 3 , OWEN JOHNSON 1 , DUNCAN RAISTRICK 2 & GILLIAN TOBER 2 1 Leeds Institute of Health Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK, 2 Leeds Addiction Unit, Leeds and York Partnerships NHS Foundation Trust, Leeds, UK, and 3 Leeds Innovation Centre, X-Lab Ltd., Leeds, UK Abstract Introduction and Aim. Problem drinking is rarely identified unless health-care professionals are specifically instructed to assess alcohol consumption. Individualised web-based alcohol interventions provide opportunities to enhance screening and early identification.We aimed to create a web-based brief personalised feedback intervention to enable client-centred screening and self-referral by problem drinkers recently admitted to hospital. Design and Methods. To increase transparency of the development process, this short report describes the theoretical underpinnings and development of ChangeDrinking including identification of needs and matching with resources, screening tool selection, and look and feel. Results. The website structure and content was modelled on motivational dialogue. ChangeDrinking is closely coupled to an independent questionnaire management system; this architecture enables internal logic to allow branching based on dynamic user inputs.The motivational underpinnings led to development of personalised predetermined dialogue with strong theory–practice links. Applying principles of conveying empathy and reflection was challenging within the confines of a predetermined dialogue. Reflective listening in ChangeDrinking does not extend to inviting statements of resistance to be entered. Discussion and Conclusions. ChangeDrinking has become an optional component of routine treatment for patients with an alcohol-related admission in two large UK National Health Service general hospitals. [Bewick BM, Rumball K, Birtwistle JC, Shaw JR, Johnson O, Raistrick D, Tober G. Developing a web-based intervention to increase motivation to change and encourage uptake of specialist face-to-face treatment by hospital inpatients: Change Drinking. Drug Alcohol Rev 2014;33:674–7] Key words: e-intervention, alcohol. Introduction Alcohol contributes to over 60 types of disease and injury [1] and is estimated to have caused 4% of the global burden of disease [2,3]. Treatment for alcohol problems can reduce alcohol-related hospital admissions and improve the health and well-being of alcohol-dependent individuals [4]; to realise these improvements, there is a need for early identification and treatment. Problem drinking is rarely identified unless health- care professionals are specifically instructed to assess alcohol consumption [5]. Obstacles to early identifica- tion and treatment services include structural and attitudinal barriers [6]. Once problem drinking is iden- tified, barriers to the delivery of interventions by health- care professionals include time constraints, lack of financial resources, insufficient training and education, and lack of motivation. Practitioners express concern about patients’ resentment at being asked about alcohol consumption [7]. Web-based alcohol interventions provide an oppor- tunity to enhance current screening and intervention practice. They enable users to complete screening in Bridgette M. Bewick PhD, CPsychol, Associate Professor, Katrina Rumball BSc, Trainee Clinical Psychologist, Jacqueline C. Birtwistle BSc (Hons), MSc, Research Assistant, Joseph R. Shaw BSc, Senior Developer, Owen Johnson MSc, Bsc (Hons), SeniorTeaching Fellow, Duncan Raistrick MBChB MPhil FRC Psych, Consultant Addiction Psychiatrist and Associate Senior Lecturer, GillianTober PhD, Consultant Psycholo- gist and Associate Senior Lecturer. Correspondence to Dr Bh∧aridgette Bewick, Leeds Institute of Health Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Leeds, Leeds,WestYorkshire LS2 9JT, UK.Tel: 00441133430809; E-mail: b.m.bewick@leeds.ac.uk Received 15 January 2014; accepted for publication 14 May 2014. bs_bs_banner REVIEW Drug and Alcohol Review (November 2014), 33, 674–677 DOI: 10.1111/dar.12174 © 2014 Australasian Professional Society on Alcohol and other Drugs