Accepted for/Published in: JMIR Formative Research
Date Submitted: Jun 4, 2021
Open Peer Review Period: Jun 4, 2021 - Jul 30, 2021
Date Accepted: Aug 3, 2021
(closed for review but you can still tweet)
“Safety in Dementia” and Firearm Access: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial of a Web-Based Caregiver Decision Aid
ABSTRACT
Background:
Firearms are common in households of persons with Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias (ADRD). Safety in Dementia (SiD) is a free, web-based decision aid developed to support ADRD caregivers in addressing firearm access.
Objective:
To evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of SiD in an online sample of ADRD caregivers.
Methods:
SiD was tested in two phases using participants recruited from the online population of Amazon MechanicalTurk workers. Phase 1 randomized caregivers to SiD versus control (Alzheimer’s Association materials), with blinding of participants to study arm. Phase 2 recruited caregivers of individuals with ADRD living with a firearm; all these participants viewed the firearm section of SiD. In both phases, participants viewed SiD independently for as long as they wanted. Measures evaluated decision making and SiD acceptability and were assessed via self-administered online questionnaire.
Results:
Participants were recruited for Phases 1 (n=203) and 2 (n=54). Although it was feasible to collect the study outcomes through the online format, in Phase 1 there were no significant differences between SiD and control for decision-making or self-efficacy. The majority (66%) of Phase 1 participants spent between 5 and 10 minutes reviewing the resource; for those in Phase 2, 59% spent 5-10 minutes viewing the firearm section, and 29% spent 10-20 minutes Usability and acceptability were high across Phases.
Conclusions:
SiD represents a new resource to promote safety in dementia, with high acceptability in a pilot trial. In this sample, it performed similarly to Alzheimer’s Association materials in supporting decision-making and self-efficacy. Clinical Trial: This study was not registered in a trial registry because it was a formative evaluation intended to inform a future full-scale efficacy trial.
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