The state of the science on synchronous video‐conferencing interventions for care partners of persons with dementia

Abstract

AbstractBackgroundThe need for effective clinical interventions to prevent the potentially deleterious health impact of providing unpaid care to friends and family members with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRDs) has become increasingly urgent. Synchronous video‐conferencing in which ADRD care partners interact in real time with trained healthcare professionals has emerged as an especially promising method for telehealth interventional research. Here we report on the designs and outcomes of such interventions for care partners of persons with ADRDs.MethodA scoping review was undertaken following Arksey and O’Malley’s systematic methodological framework. Articles were identified through a comprehensive search of PubMed, PsychINFO, and CINAHL. Inclusion criteria were peer reviewed, data‐based research articles published between 2015 and 2020 reporting results of synchronous video‐conferencing interventions specifically designed to address the needs of care partners of persons with ADRDs. Reviews, scale development, protocols, and case studies were excluded.ResultFull text screening of 159 articles resulted in the identification of seven articles reporting the results of six independent interventions. Included studies fell into two categories, psychoeducational behavior modification interventions delivered by nursing professionals and facilitated peer support interventions delivered by psychologists and social workers. Interventions varied based on technological mode of delivery, level of interaction among participants and between participants and interventionists, duration and frequency of sessions, and outcomes measured or described. Articles reported evidence of efficacy for decreasing care partner loneliness, depression, burden, and increasing care competence. Feasibility and acceptability of the technological interface varied between interventions, but was high overall.ConclusionBy comparing and contrasting these 6 synchronous video‐conferencing interventions, we are able support the viability of synchronous video‐conferencing as an effective mode of intervention for care partners of persons with ADRDs, and generate information to inform future research. Despite evidence that care partners need stage‐specific interventions, none of the reviewed studies were tailored to specific dementia stages, and there was a glaring lack of diversity in most study samples. Our results suggest that future research with care partners should not be limited to earth‐bound, face‐to‐face interventions, and that synchronous video‐conferencing has benefits above and beyond other approaches.