Loading...
Does telehealth delivery of a dyadic dementia care program provide a noninferior alternative to face-to-face delivery of the same program? A randomized, controlled trial
Laver, Kate Liu, Enwu Clemson, Lindy Davies, Owen Gray, Leonard Gitlin, Laura N. Crotty, Maria
Laver, Kate
Liu, Enwu
Clemson, Lindy
Davies, Owen
Gray, Leonard
Gitlin, Laura N.
Crotty, Maria
Abstract
Objective This study aimed to determine whether delivery of a dyadic intervention using telehealth was noninferior to delivery of the same program using traditional face-to-face delivery through home visits. Design We conducted a noninferiority randomized controlled trial. Participants Participants had a diagnosis of dementia, were living in the community, and had an informal caregiver who reported difficulties in managing activities of daily living or behavioral symptoms. Intervention Participants were randomized to receive either telehealth or home visit delivery of the same intervention program. Measurements The primary outcome was the Caregiving Mastery Index, secondary outcomes included caregiver's perceptions of change, activities of daily living function, and type and frequency of behavioral symptoms of persons living with dementia. Therapists delivering the intervention recorded the time spent delivering the intervention as well as travel time. Results Sixty-three dyads were recruited and randomized. Both groups reported improvements for the primary outcome, however, these were not statistically significant. There were no significant differences between groups for the primary outcome (mean difference 0.09 (95% confidence interval −1.26 to 1.45) or the secondary outcomes at 4 months. Both groups reported significant improvements in caregiver's perceptions of change. The amount of time spent delivering the content of the program was similar between groups, however offering the intervention via telehealth significantly reduced travel time (mean 255.9 minutes versus mean 77.2 minutes, p <0.0001). Conclusion It is feasible to offer dyadic interventions via telehealth and doing so reduces travel time and results in similar benefits for families.
Keywords
Dementia, Telehealth, Occupational therapy, Carer
Date
2020
Type
Journal article
Journal
American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry
Book
Volume
28
Issue
6
Page Range
673-682
Article Number
ACU Department
Mary MacKillop Institute for Health Research
Faculty of Health Sciences
Faculty of Health Sciences
Collections
Relation URI
Source URL
Event URL
Open Access Status
Open access
License
CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
File Access
Open