An Internet-Based Education Program for Care Partners of People Living With Dementia

Not Applicable

Completed

• Conditions: Burden, Caregiver; Dementia; Knowledge; Self Efficacy
• Interventions: Other: Education Intervention; Other: Education Control

• Registration Number: NCT05114187
• Lead Sponsor: McMaster University

Brief Summary

With the aging population, the prevalence of dementia is increasing dramatically. People living with dementia are highly dependent on family care partners, who may have little knowledge of the disorder. National and provincial guidelines have all highlighted the importance of online resources to improve care partner education; however, very few have been widely implemented or rigorously studied.

The investigators have developed the award-winning dementia education platform to complement traditional patient and family educational approaches. It allows free access to multimedia e-learning lessons, live expert webinars, and email-based content that care partners can access any time, anywhere.

In a pilot randomized controlled trial (RCT), the investigators propose to study 1) the feasibility and care partner acceptance of the intervention and some of the study methods, and 2) the impact of the intervention on care partner self-efficacy, knowledge, and sense of burden.

This initiative has the potential to improve the quality, cost effectiveness, and efficiency of dementia care. The intervention could be easily scaled and spread both provincially and nationally to complement other dementia education methods, at a time when the prevalence of dementia is increasing and access to high quality internet-based interventions is essential.

Detailed Description

Not available

Study Timeline

• Study First Submitted: 2021-10-15
• Study First Submitted QC: 2021-10-29
• Study First Posted: 2021-11-09
• Study Start: 2022-09-06
• Primary Completion: 2023-09-05
• Study Completion: 2023-09-05
• Status Verified: 2023-10
• Last Update Submitted: 2023-10-17
• Last Update Posted: 2023-10-19

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: COMPLETED
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 125

Inclusion Criteria

1. they are a family and/or friend care partner of a person living with dementia,
2. they reside in Canada,
3. they are 18 years of age and over,
4. they have a good command of the English language,
5. they have access to email and internet,
6. they are comfortable using email and internet,
7. they have the ability to grant online informed consent, and
8. they complete online baseline assessments.

Exclusion Criteria

1. they are a not family and/or friend care partner of a person living with dementia,
2. they do not reside in Canada,
3. they are not 18 years of age and over,
4. they do not have a good command of the English language,
5. they do not have access to email and internet,
6. they are not comfortable using email and internet,
7. they do not have the ability to grant online informed consent, and
8. they do not complete online baseline assessments.

Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: PARALLEL

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
Education Intervention	Education Intervention	-
Education Control	Education Control	-

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Intervention adherence (time spent)	8 weeks	Lesson completed data and email open rates will be collected and saved to quantify the time(s) spent on intervention activities.
Participant satisfaction	8 weeks	A custom implementation oral interview questionnaire adapted from The Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) will be collected and saved to assess implementation of the intervention.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Change from baseline in the Zarit Burden Interview (ZBI) at 8 weeks.	0, 8 weeks	Burden will be measured through the Zarit Burden Interview (ZBI) (reliability α = .92). The ZBI contains 22 items. Each item on the interview is a statement which the caregiver is asked to endorse using a 5-point scale. Response options range from 0 (Never) to 4 (Nearly Always). Higher scores indicate a higher level of burden.
Recruitment rates	8 weeks	Participant recruitment numbers will be collected and saved to quantify the number of interested participants.
Change from baseline in the Revised Scale for Caregiving Self-Efficacy (RSCSE) at 8 weeks.	0, 8 weeks	Self-efficacy will be measured through the Revised Scale for Caregiving Self-Efficacy (RSCSE) (reliability α = \>.80). The RSCSE contains 15 items within 3 subscales (self-efficacy for obtaining respite, responding to disruptive patient behaviours, and controlling upsetting thoughts about caregiving). Higher scores indicate a higher level of self-efficacy.
Change from baseline in the Dementia Knowledge Assessment Scale (DKAS) at 8 weeks.	0, 8 weeks	Knowledge will be measured through the Dementia Knowledge Assessment Scale (DKAS) (reliability α = .85; ωh = .87; overall scale). The DKAS consists of 25 items on different aspects of dementia that could be answered with 'True,' 'Probably True,' 'False, 'Probably False,' or 'I don't know.' Higher scores indicate a higher level of dementia knowledge.
Attrition rates	8 weeks	Participant attrition rates will be collected and saved to quantify the number of study dropouts vs completions

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

McMaster University; 🇨🇦 Hamilton, Ontario, Canada