JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

The integration of multimedia technologies into the psychosocial care of people with dementia is frequently presented as a means of supporting person-centred practice. Yet, healthcare professionals' ability to adopt and sustain these tools in dementia care is shaped not only by individual knowledge and skills, but also by how these technologies are appropriated and adapted to practice, alongside organizational resources, workload pressures, and broader contextual factors. While dementia education can improve healthcare professionals' knowledge, evidence remains limited on how a person-centred dementia framework can inform educational approaches to support their adoption of multimedia technologies.

Objective:

To evaluate the feasibility of a training workshop introducing multimedia technologies to support psychosocial needs within a person-centred dementia care framework, examining changes in professionals' dementia knowledge, the perceived usefulness and acceptability of the tools, and the behavioural and structural factors shaping their willingness to adopt them.

Methods:

A mixed-methods pre-post feasibility evaluation was conducted among dementia care professionals attending a single 3-hour interactive workshop at a care facility. The workshop included an overview of person-centred dementia care, hands-on exploration of multimedia applications, and facilitated discussions on implementation challenges. Outcomes included perceptions of person-centred care (Person-Centred Care Assessment Tool [P-CAT]), dementia-related knowledge assessed before and after the workshop using a 10-item questionnaire adapted from the Dementia Knowledge Assessment Scale (DKAS), and readiness to use multimedia technologies in dementia care, measured using a purpose-built Multimedia in Dementia Care (MDC) scale encompassing confidence, intention, and perceived relevance. Post-workshop measures also assessed implementation conditions, workshop relevance, and perceived barriers and facilitators to implementation.

Results:

A total of 14 participants (mean age 44, SD 6 years; 93% female; mean 13.5, SD 7 years of experience) attended the workshop. Baseline person-centered care perceptions (P-CAT) averaged 48.43 (SD 6.96). Readiness to adopt multimedia technologies in dementia care (MDC) did not change significantly, though the Confidence domain showed a moderate, non-significant trend toward improvement. Dementia knowledge improved significantly overall (P=.02), driven primarily by gains in the Communication & Behavior domain. Participants reported that the workshop improved their understanding of dementia and its compatibility with person-centered care, highlighting benefits for social connection, communication, and personalized engagement. Reported barriers to implementation included workload, time and resource constraints, device availability and affordability, language accessibility, personalization needs, and concerns about long-term sustainability.

Conclusions:

This brief workshop was feasible and well-received among dementia care professionals, producing significant short-term gains in dementia knowledge, particularly around communication and behavior. Translating these gains into practice will depend on addressing the workload, resource, and organizational barriers identified by participants. Larger, controlled studies are needed to confirm these findings and assess their longer-term impact on care practice. Clinical Trial: 07-05-2026