TY - JOUR
T1 - Evaluation of FindMyApps
T2 - protocol for a randomized controlled trial of the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of a tablet-based intervention to improve self-management and social participation of community-dwelling people with mild dementia, compared to usual tablet use
AU - Neal, David Peter
AU - Kerkhof, Yvonne J.F.
AU - Ettema, Teake P.
AU - Muller, Majon
AU - Bosmans, Judith
AU - Finnema, Evelyn
AU - Graff, Maud
AU - Dijkstra, Karin
AU - Stek, Max L.
AU - Dröes, Rose Marie
N1 - Funding Information: This project is part of the Marie Skłodowska Curie Actions Innovative Training Network H2020 MSCA ITN, under grant agreement number 813196. A grant from De Bavo Stichting will meet costs associated with a helpdesk function during the trial period. Material and other costs will be met by the project partners (Amsterdam UMC, Hogeschool Saxion and Radboud UMC), with support from the Foundation for Support VCVGZ. The FindMyApps app has been developed under contract by Dutch company EUMediaNet, whilst the academic partners named above remain owners of the intellectual property, as per consortium agreement. None of the funding bodies had any role in the design of the study, nor will they have any role in the collection, analysis, or interpretation of data, nor in writing this or future manuscripts. Funding Information: Prof. Dröes receives additional funding from Foundation for the Support VCVGZ and therefore requests that this be noted by adding to the sentence “Material and other costs will be met by the project partners (Amsterdam UMC, Hogeschool Saxion and Radboud UMC)”, “…with support from the Foundation for Support VCVGZ”. Publisher Copyright: © 2021, The Author(s).
PY - 2021/12/1
Y1 - 2021/12/1
N2 - Background: For the rising number of people living with dementia, cost-effective community-based interventions to support psychosocial care are needed. The FindMyApps intervention has been developed with and for people with dementia and their caregivers, to help them use tablets to facilitate self-management and engagement in meaningful social activities. A feasibility study and exploratory pilot trial evaluating FindMyApps have been carried out. This definitive trial further evaluates the effectiveness of the intervention and, for the first time, the cost-effectiveness. Methods: A randomized controlled non-blinded single-center two-arm superiority trial will be conducted. Community-dwelling people with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI), or dementia with a Mini Mental-State Examination (MMSE) of > 17 and < 26, or Global Deterioration Scale 3 or 4, with an informal caregiver and access to a wireless internet connection will be included. In total, 150 patient-caregiver dyads will be randomly allocated to receive either usual care (control arm – tablet computer; n = 75 dyads) or usual care and the FindMyApps intervention (experimental arm – tablet computer and FindMyApps; n = 75 dyads). The primary outcomes are: for people with dementia, self-management and social participation; for caregivers, sense of competence. In addition to a main effect analysis, a cost-effectiveness analysis will be performed. In line with MRC guidance for evaluation of complex interventions a process evaluation will also be undertaken. Discussion: Results of the trial are expected to be available in 2023 and will be submitted for publication in international peer-reviewed scientific journals, in addition to conference presentations and reporting via the EU Marie Sklodowska-Curie DISTINCT ITN network. By providing evidence for or against the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of the FindMyApps intervention, the results of the trial will influence national implementation of FindMyApps. We hope that the results of the trial will further stimulate research and development at the intersection of technology and psycho-social care in dementia. We hope to further demonstrate that the randomized controlled trial is a valuable and feasible means of evaluating new digital technologies, to stimulate further high-quality research in this growing field. Trial registration number: Netherlands Trial Register: NL8157; registered 15th November 2019.
AB - Background: For the rising number of people living with dementia, cost-effective community-based interventions to support psychosocial care are needed. The FindMyApps intervention has been developed with and for people with dementia and their caregivers, to help them use tablets to facilitate self-management and engagement in meaningful social activities. A feasibility study and exploratory pilot trial evaluating FindMyApps have been carried out. This definitive trial further evaluates the effectiveness of the intervention and, for the first time, the cost-effectiveness. Methods: A randomized controlled non-blinded single-center two-arm superiority trial will be conducted. Community-dwelling people with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI), or dementia with a Mini Mental-State Examination (MMSE) of > 17 and < 26, or Global Deterioration Scale 3 or 4, with an informal caregiver and access to a wireless internet connection will be included. In total, 150 patient-caregiver dyads will be randomly allocated to receive either usual care (control arm – tablet computer; n = 75 dyads) or usual care and the FindMyApps intervention (experimental arm – tablet computer and FindMyApps; n = 75 dyads). The primary outcomes are: for people with dementia, self-management and social participation; for caregivers, sense of competence. In addition to a main effect analysis, a cost-effectiveness analysis will be performed. In line with MRC guidance for evaluation of complex interventions a process evaluation will also be undertaken. Discussion: Results of the trial are expected to be available in 2023 and will be submitted for publication in international peer-reviewed scientific journals, in addition to conference presentations and reporting via the EU Marie Sklodowska-Curie DISTINCT ITN network. By providing evidence for or against the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of the FindMyApps intervention, the results of the trial will influence national implementation of FindMyApps. We hope that the results of the trial will further stimulate research and development at the intersection of technology and psycho-social care in dementia. We hope to further demonstrate that the randomized controlled trial is a valuable and feasible means of evaluating new digital technologies, to stimulate further high-quality research in this growing field. Trial registration number: Netherlands Trial Register: NL8157; registered 15th November 2019.
KW - Dementia
KW - Digital health technology
KW - Psycho-social care
KW - Quality of life
KW - Social health
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85101583236&partnerID=8YFLogxK
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UR - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/33627069
U2 - https://doi.org/10.1186/s12877-021-02038-8
DO - https://doi.org/10.1186/s12877-021-02038-8
M3 - Article
C2 - 33627069
SN - 1471-2318
VL - 21
SP - 1
EP - 15
JO - BMC geriatrics
JF - BMC geriatrics
IS - 1
M1 - 138
ER -