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Acceptability and Real-World Use of a Web Platform for Informal Caregivers of Dependent Older Adults (CuidaGEST): Formative Evaluation Using a Cross-Sectional Survey and Web Analytics
ABSTRACT
Background:
Informal caregivers provide most of the care received by dependent older adults in Portugal, and the Informal Caregiver Statute (Law 100/2019) created rights and supports that caregivers must identify and claim themselves. Web platforms are a low-cost way to provide information, but users’ approval of a platform does not guarantee that its content is used.
Objective:
To inform the next development phase of CuidaGEST, a web platform for informal caregivers, by assessing caregivers’ knowledge of community resources and entitlements and their health literacy, the acceptability of the platform’s first phase, and its real-world use.
Methods:
We conducted a cross-sectional survey of informal caregivers of dependent people followed by a home care nursing team in Lisbon, Portugal, between September 28 and October 31, 2022. After receiving the platform link in advance and consulting it on a tablet during a home visit, caregivers completed paper questionnaires on knowledge of resources and entitlements, health literacy (HLS19-Q12), and satisfaction with the platform. Unsolicited verbal comments were noted. We also analysed Google Analytics 4 data for the public website from March 1, 2022, to October 19, 2025. Analyses were descriptive.
Results:
Of 18 eligible caregivers, 17 (94%) participated; 12 (71%) were women, 8 (47%) were spouses, and 6 (35%) were older than 65 years. Thirteen (76%) did not consider themselves knowledgeable about the social supports to which they were entitled and 11 (65%) about community resources, although 10 (59%) reported knowing Law 100/2019. Health literacy was adequate in 11 (65%), with problematic levels in disease prevention for 6 (35%). Satisfaction reached at least 70% on 8 of 9 items, and 16 (94%) were satisfied overall and would recommend the platform. Content currency was the exception (8/17, 47% satisfied; 7/17, 41% dissatisfied). Unsolicited suggestions concentrated on local community resources, contacts, and types of support. Over 43 months, the website recorded 417 active users and 1547 page views. The home page accounted for 39% of views and institutional pages for 34%, whereas the 14 topic pages carrying the educational content accounted for 7% (107 views).
Conclusions:
When introduced by nurses during home visits, the platform was highly acceptable to caregivers, but its organic reach was low and its educational content was rarely reached. The largest knowledge gaps concerned entitlements and local resources, which were not the focus of the first phase and which caregivers themselves asked for. The next phase should add navigation of local resources and entitlements, a content maintenance protocol, and professional mediation as a dissemination route.
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