3 results
P47: Impact of the FindMyApps intervention on Social health in community-dwelling people with dementia: results from a randomized controlled trial
- David Neal, Teake Ettema, Karin Dijkstra, Maud Graff, Evelyn Finnema, Majon Muller, Rose-Marie Dröes
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- Journal:
- International Psychogeriatrics / Volume 35 / Issue S1 / December 2023
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 02 February 2024, pp. 113-114
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Background:
Most frequently felt needs in dementia concern maintaining self-management and participation in meaningful activities. E-health interventions may support these aspects of social health but few have undergone large-scale evaluations. The effectiveness of the FindMyApps intervention, an app selection tool and tablet training, designed to support people to find and use tablet apps that meet their needs and interests, was evaluated.
Methods:A non-blinded, single-centre, randomized controlled trial and process evaluation were conducted in the Netherlands between January 2020 and November 2022. Participants were community-dwelling people with mild dementia (MMSE <26 and >17) or mild cognitive impairment, and their informal caregivers. FindMyApps was compared with digital care as usual (normal tablet computer and general advice). Data regarding primary outcomes (self-management and social participation of the person with dementia, sense of competence of the caregiver) and secondary outcomes (including quality of life) were collected with standardized instruments at baseline and after a three months intervention period. ANCOVAs were conducted on post-test outcome measures, corrected for baseline scores, to investigate group differences.
Results:Data collection was completed in November 2022 and analyses are underway. Of 150 dyads randomized, 128 completed the three-month follow-up (64 experimental, 64 control). Results of ANCOVAs investigating the effect and effect size of FindMyApps on the primary and secondary outcomes at three months, will be reported, as well as results of post-hoc analyses that explored the effect on outcomes of: previous tablet experience and education level of participants; observed use of the FindMyApps app; and reported adherence to recommended frequency of tablet use.
Discussion and conclusions:Results of this study will indicate whether FindMyApps is an effective intervention for supporting social health of people with mild dementia and MCI. Comparisons with previous studies of FindMyApps and other digital interventions for social health in dementia will be drawn and implications for professionals, concerning implementation of FindMyApps, and for researchers regarding further development, translation and evaluation of FindMyApps discussed. Finally, establishing feasibility and utility of randomized controlled trials in this field, the results of this study will set the bar for future evaluations of eHealth interventions in general.
P63: Best Practice Guidance on Human Interaction with Technology in Dementia Update June 2023 – Recommendations from the INDUCT and DISTINCT Networks
- Rose-Marie Dröes, Yvette Vermeer, Sébastien Libert, Gianna Kohl, Sophie Gaber, Sarah Wallcook, Harleen Rai, Aline Cavalcanti Barroso, Esther Gerritzen, Joeke van Santen, Floriana Mangiaracina, Kim Beentjes, David Neal, Josephine Tan, Sara Bartels, Hannah Christie, Pascale Heins, Golnaz Atefi, Rose Miranda, Annelien van Dael, Fanny Monnet, Kate Shiells, Ángel C. Pinto Bruno, Angie Alejandra Diaz, Mauricio Molinari Ulate, Aysan Mahmoudi Asl, Simone Fielding, Beliz Budak, Viktoria Hoel, Wei Qi Koh, Jaroslav Cibulka, Lieve Van den Block, Lara Pivodic, Dympna Casey, Georgina Charlesworth, Karin Dijkstra, Teake Ettema, Manuel Franco Martin, Paul Higgs, Iva Holmerova, Camilla Malinowsky, Orii McDermott, Franka Meiland, Louise Nygard, Martina Roes, Henriëtte van der Roest, Justine Schneider, Olga Stepankova, Annemieke van Straten, Elaine Toomey, Frans Verhey, Marjolein de Vugt, Karin Wolf-Ostermann, Martin Orrell
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- Journal:
- International Psychogeriatrics / Volume 35 / Issue S1 / December 2023
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 02 February 2024, pp. 158-159
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Objective:
INDUCT (Interdisciplinary Network for Dementia Using Current Technology), and DISTINCT (Dementia Inter-sectorial strategy for training and innovation network for current technology) are two Marie Sklodowska-Curie funded International Training Networks that aimed to develop a multi-disciplinary, inter-sectorial educational research framework for Europe to improve technology and care for people with dementia, and to provide the evidence to show how technology can improve the lives of people with dementia.
Methods:In INDUCT (2016-2020) 15 Early Stage Researchers worked on projects in the areas of Technology to support everyday life; technology to promote meaningful activities; and healthcare technology. In DISTINCT (2019-2023) 15 Early Stage Researchers worked on technology to promote Social health in three domains: fulfilling ones potential and obligations in society, managing one’s own life, and participation in social and other meaningful activities.
Both networks adopted three transversal objectives: 1) To determine practical, cognitive and social factors needed to make technology more useable for people with dementia; 2) To evaluate the effectiveness of specific contemporary technology; 3) To trace facilitators and barriers for implementation of technology in dementia care.
Results:The main recommendations resulting from all research projects are integrated in a web-based digital Best Practice Guidance on Human Interaction with Technology in Dementia which was recently updated (Dec 2022 and June 2023) and will be presented at the congress. The recommendations are meant for different target groups, i.e. people in different stages of dementia, their (in)formal carers, policy makers, designers and researchers, who can easily find the recommendations relevant to them in the Best Practice Guidance by means of a digital selection tool.
Conclusions:The INDUCT/DISTINCT Best Practice Guidance informs on how to improve the development, usage, impact and implementation of technology for people with dementia in various technology areas. This Best Practice Guidance is the result of intensive collaborative partnership of INDUCT and DISTINCT with academic and non-academic partners as well as the involvement of representatives of the different target groups throughout the projects.
426 - FindMyApps: Protocol for a randomized controlled trial with community-dwelling people with dementia, evaluating the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of an intervention to improve self-management and social participation
- David P. Neal, Yvonne J. F. Kerkhof, Teake P. Ettema, Majon Muller, Judith Bosmans, Evelyn Finnema, Maud Graff, Karin Tanja-Dijkstra, Max L. Stek, Rose-Marie Dröes
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- Journal:
- International Psychogeriatrics / Volume 32 / Issue S1 / October 2020
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 04 November 2020, p. 142
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Background: For the rising number of people living with dementia, cost-effective community-based interventions to support psychosocial care are needed. The FindMyApps program helps people with dementia and their caregivers learn to use tablet computers and find user-friendly apps that facilitate self-management and engagement in meaningful activities. This definitive trial builds on previous feasibility pilot trials of FindMyApps and further evaluates cost-effectiveness.
Method: This is a protocol for a non-blinded randomized controlled trial (RCT) with two arms (intervention and usual care). 150 dyads (person with dementia and their carer) will be recruited. Participants must be resident in the community, with a diagnosis of Mild Cognitive Impairment or mild dementia (Mini Mental-State Examination 17-26, or Global Deterioration Scale 3-4. Dyads will be randomly assigned in equal proportions to receive either the FindMyApps intervention (experimental arm) or usual care (control arm). Primary outcomes measured at 3 months will be: patient self-management and social participation; caregiver sense of competence. Data will be collected through questionnaires filled in by the researcher (patient outcomes) or participants themselves (carer outcomes). In addition to a main effect analysis, a cost-effectiveness analysis will take place. In line with Medical Research Council (MRC) guidance for the evaluation of complex interventions, a process analysis will be undertaken, to identify factors that may influence trial outcomes. Semi-structured interviews and remotely collected data regarding use of the FindMyApps app will support the process analysis.
Result: Results of this study are expected in 2022. The study will be adequately powered to detect at least a moderate effect size of the intervention with respect to the primary outcomes.
Conclusion: This study will investigate the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of the FindMyApps intervention. The results of the study will provide strong evidence to support or oppose scaling up implementation of the intervention. This is also an example of how the MRC framework for the evaluation of complex interventions can be implemented in practice. In a field which is often criticized for a lack of high quality evidence, randomized controlled trials should be applied more frequently designed for the robust and transparent evaluation of digital tools and technologies.