Perceived importance and preference for mental health management mini-program functions among nurses as second victims: a cross-sectional survey

Background In recent years, mobile health tools represented by WeChat mini-programs have garnered increasing attention in the healthcare domain. However, there is still a gap in digital tool development for the psychological needs of nurses as second victims. It is crucial to understand how to provide these individuals with necessary psychological support and what functionality preferences they have for mental health mini-programs. Objective This study aims to examine the importance and preference of various functions in mental health management mini-programs by nurses as second victims, which would serve as a basis for future designs of mini-programs to improve the mental wellbeing of nurses as second victims. Methods Between November 2025 and January 2026, 176 nurses who had experienced nursing adverse events were selected via convenience sampling from three Class III Grade A hospitals in Shandong Province. The study employed a general information questionnaire, a questionnaire on perceived importance of mental health management mini-program functions for nurses as second victims and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7). Results The overall mean perceived importance score among the 176 nurses as second victims regarding the mental health management mini-program was 4.21 ± 0.33, with scores for the five core functional modules being: psychological support (4.50 ± 0.42), peer support (4.30 ± 0.54), stress management (4.20 ± 0.47), health education (4.11 ± 0.55) and program design (4.08 ± 0.78). The results of Spearman’s correlation analysis showed that the professional title of nurses as second victims ( r_s = −0.260， P_FDR = 0.002), age ( r_s = −0.285, P_FDR < 0.001), and years of service ( r_s = −0.302, P_FDR < 0.001) were negatively correlated with the total perceived importance score, while the number of nursing adverse events experienced was positively correlated with the perceived importance of mini-program functions ( r_s = 0.244, P_FDR = 0.005). Conclusion Nurses as second victims attach high perceived importance to mental health management mini-program functions; however, the extent of this perceived importance varies among nurses as second victims with different professional titles, ages, years of service, and numbers of nursing adverse events experienced.