JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Most people living with dementia experience behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD), leading to poor quality of life and hospitalisations, and causing a significant burden for informal caregivers and healthcare systems, with a global lack of support to manage these symptoms at home. Telephones can potentially improve the accessibility and flexibility of long-term dementia support. This review evaluates the effectiveness of telephone interventions in managing BPSD for community-dwelling patients with dementia and their informal caregivers.

Methods:

A systematic search of four databases (MEDLINE, Embase, PsycInfo, and SCOPUS) was conducted. We included studies with telephone interventions with no blended component (i.e. other technologies or in-person part), and outcomes assessing the impact of these interventions on people with dementia, informal caregivers, and hospitalisations using quantitative measures.

Results:

Of 4,355 studies screened, 12 met the inclusion criteria. Studies were conducted in five high-income countries, and the majority were randomised controlled trials (RCTs), with two non-RCTs and two pre-post intervention studies. Interventions included telephone coaching calls, psychosocial and educational support calls, and online platforms. Most studies showed an improvement in BPSD and BPSD-related burden, with four studies indicating significant improvements in BPSD-related caregiver burden. Nine studies reported reduced BPSD, and five out of 12 showed a statistically significant decrease in these symptoms. One study considered BPSD-related hospital admissions, reporting a statistically significant decrease in admission rates.

Conclusions:

Telephone interventions delivered through psychosocial and educational calls and online platforms are promising tools for reducing BPSD-related caregiver burden. Personalised telephone interventions, including patients and informal caregivers in the treatment plan, may reduce BPSD severity and frequency. However, further research and application of the interventions in low- and middle-income countries with longer follow-up periods, including cost-effectiveness analyses, is required to establish the global generalisability of these interventions and inform future practice.