JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

With the ever-increasing prevalence of dementia, there is a move towards equipping people living with the condition with the skills required for greater self-management. Self-management encompasses numerous skills, such as goal setting and decision-making, which aim to improve an individual’s physical and mental wellbeing when they are living with a long-term health condition. Effective self-management may lead to increased well-being and quality of life. Reviews into web- and app-based interventions have suggested that they have the potential of providing support for self-management for people living with a range of conditions, including dementia.

Objective:

The aim of this review was to explore the existing use of web- or app-based interventions that facilitated or supported self-management in dementia and discuss their effectiveness in promoting self-management and independence.

Methods:

Five electronic databases were systematically searched for relevant articles published between January 2010 and March 2020. Included studies were appraised using the Downs and Black Checklist and/or the CASP qualitative research checklist. A narrative synthesis framework was applied, with the use of tables and conceptual mapping, to explore the relationships within and between studies.

Results:

A total of 2561 articles were identified from the initial search, of which 11 met the inclusion criteria for the final analysis. These included five quantitative studies, four mixed methods, and two qualitative. All included articles were of fair to high quality across the two appraisal measures. Interventions were delivered through a range of web- and app-based technology and targeted several self-management concepts. However, there was inconsistency about what domains often affected by dementia were targeted by the interventions reviewed.

Conclusions:

Web- and app-based interventions in dementia can be delivered through a range of means and target different aspects of self-management. The small number of studies included in this review report positive outcomes on people living with dementia and appear to support their use. However, there is a clear need for more high-quality research into this type of intervention delivery, and studies which use a much larger number of participants across the dementia spectrum. Future research should consider the barriers and facilitators to intervention adoption highlighted in this review, and whether interventions can encompass the physical, social, cognitive, and emotional domains affected by dementia.