mHealth-based intervention by community workers to support family caregivers of persons with dementia living at home: study protocol for a cluster randomised controlled trial
Background India is undergoing a significant demographic shift with a growing older population, leading to an anticipated increase in people with dementia. Family caregivers, who are predominantly informal, carry the burden of care within households, facing numerous challenges that impact their well...
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| Format: | Article |
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BMJ Publishing Group
2025-01-01
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| Series: | BMJ Open |
| Online Access: | https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/15/1/e087896.full |
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| author | Pankaj Bhardwaj Hanne Konradsen Manoj Kumar Gupta Abhik Sinha Nitin Kumar Joshi Suresh K Sharma Naresh Nebhinani Marie Tyrrell Åsa G Craftman Zarina Nahar Kabir |
| author_facet | Pankaj Bhardwaj Hanne Konradsen Manoj Kumar Gupta Abhik Sinha Nitin Kumar Joshi Suresh K Sharma Naresh Nebhinani Marie Tyrrell Åsa G Craftman Zarina Nahar Kabir |
| author_sort | Pankaj Bhardwaj |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background India is undergoing a significant demographic shift with a growing older population, leading to an anticipated increase in people with dementia. Family caregivers, who are predominantly informal, carry the burden of care within households, facing numerous challenges that impact their well-being. Despite the cultural emphasis on family support, there is a lack of targeted interventions for caregivers in India. The WHO emphasises the importance of caregiver support, and recent advancements in information and communication technology, particularly mobile health (mHealth), offer promising avenues to address this need. This study protocol outlines an Indo-Sweden collaborative effort, funded by Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) Forte, to develop and assess the effectiveness of a mHealth application designed to improve caregiving skills, reduce caregiver burden and support family caregivers of persons with dementia.Methods and analysis The study will be conducted through a community-based cluster randomised controlled trial in Jodhpur, Rajasthan, with Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs) serving as the unit of randomisation. The methodology includes several key phases: a needs assessment to understand caregiver requirements, the development of the mHealth application, comprehensive training for ASHAs and a thorough evaluation of the intervention’s impact.The effectiveness of the intervention will be measured through quantitative assessments of stress reduction, depressive symptoms and quality of life improvements, alongside qualitative insights from stakeholders. Additionally, usability and cost analyses will be conducted to evaluate the practicality and economic feasibility of the intervention.The expected outcomes of this study include the creation of a scalable mHealth platform that facilitates remote support, bridges geographical gaps and enhances the well-being of caregivers in India’s evolving healthcare landscape.Ethics and dissemination Ethical approval has been obtained from the Institutional Ethical Committee of AIIMS Jodhpur (AIIMS/IEC/2022/4245).Trial registration number Clinical Trials Registry: CTRI/2022/12/048320. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-50f2a5c021bf42c291d357917d3f4a22 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2044-6055 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | BMJ Publishing Group |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMJ Open |
| spelling | doaj-art-50f2a5c021bf42c291d357917d3f4a222025-01-09T15:25:11ZengBMJ Publishing GroupBMJ Open2044-60552025-01-0115110.1136/bmjopen-2024-087896mHealth-based intervention by community workers to support family caregivers of persons with dementia living at home: study protocol for a cluster randomised controlled trialPankaj Bhardwaj0Hanne Konradsen1Manoj Kumar Gupta2Abhik Sinha3Nitin Kumar Joshi4Suresh K Sharma5Naresh Nebhinani6Marie Tyrrell7Åsa G Craftman8Zarina Nahar Kabir91 Community Medicine and Family Medicine, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India7 Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden1 Community Medicine and Family Medicine, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India5 Division of Ageing Research, ICMR Centre for Ageing and Mental Health, Kolkata, West Bengal, India2 School of Public Health, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India3 College of Nursing, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India4 Department of Psychiatry, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India6 Sophiahemmet University, Stockholm, Sweden7 Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden7 Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, SwedenBackground India is undergoing a significant demographic shift with a growing older population, leading to an anticipated increase in people with dementia. Family caregivers, who are predominantly informal, carry the burden of care within households, facing numerous challenges that impact their well-being. Despite the cultural emphasis on family support, there is a lack of targeted interventions for caregivers in India. The WHO emphasises the importance of caregiver support, and recent advancements in information and communication technology, particularly mobile health (mHealth), offer promising avenues to address this need. This study protocol outlines an Indo-Sweden collaborative effort, funded by Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) Forte, to develop and assess the effectiveness of a mHealth application designed to improve caregiving skills, reduce caregiver burden and support family caregivers of persons with dementia.Methods and analysis The study will be conducted through a community-based cluster randomised controlled trial in Jodhpur, Rajasthan, with Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs) serving as the unit of randomisation. The methodology includes several key phases: a needs assessment to understand caregiver requirements, the development of the mHealth application, comprehensive training for ASHAs and a thorough evaluation of the intervention’s impact.The effectiveness of the intervention will be measured through quantitative assessments of stress reduction, depressive symptoms and quality of life improvements, alongside qualitative insights from stakeholders. Additionally, usability and cost analyses will be conducted to evaluate the practicality and economic feasibility of the intervention.The expected outcomes of this study include the creation of a scalable mHealth platform that facilitates remote support, bridges geographical gaps and enhances the well-being of caregivers in India’s evolving healthcare landscape.Ethics and dissemination Ethical approval has been obtained from the Institutional Ethical Committee of AIIMS Jodhpur (AIIMS/IEC/2022/4245).Trial registration number Clinical Trials Registry: CTRI/2022/12/048320.https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/15/1/e087896.full |
| spellingShingle | Pankaj Bhardwaj Hanne Konradsen Manoj Kumar Gupta Abhik Sinha Nitin Kumar Joshi Suresh K Sharma Naresh Nebhinani Marie Tyrrell Åsa G Craftman Zarina Nahar Kabir mHealth-based intervention by community workers to support family caregivers of persons with dementia living at home: study protocol for a cluster randomised controlled trial BMJ Open |
| title | mHealth-based intervention by community workers to support family caregivers of persons with dementia living at home: study protocol for a cluster randomised controlled trial |
| title_full | mHealth-based intervention by community workers to support family caregivers of persons with dementia living at home: study protocol for a cluster randomised controlled trial |
| title_fullStr | mHealth-based intervention by community workers to support family caregivers of persons with dementia living at home: study protocol for a cluster randomised controlled trial |
| title_full_unstemmed | mHealth-based intervention by community workers to support family caregivers of persons with dementia living at home: study protocol for a cluster randomised controlled trial |
| title_short | mHealth-based intervention by community workers to support family caregivers of persons with dementia living at home: study protocol for a cluster randomised controlled trial |
| title_sort | mhealth based intervention by community workers to support family caregivers of persons with dementia living at home study protocol for a cluster randomised controlled trial |
| url | https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/15/1/e087896.full |
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