JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Dementia is a leading global cause of disability and dependency among older adults. Informal caregivers of people with dementia often face severe psychological distress, including depression and anxiety. Supporting caregiver well-being is essential for maintaining the quality of care and enabling individuals with dementia to live independently for longer. Electronic health interventions offer accessible and scalable platforms to deliver tailored education and psychosocial support, with increasing evidence of their potential to alleviate caregiver burden.

Objective:

This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of electronic health interventions in reducing burden among informal caregivers of individuals with dementia and to identify the specific components that contribute most significantly to intervention outcomes.

Methods:

A comprehensive literature search was conducted in CINAHL, Cochrane Library, Embase, ProQuest, PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science, with coverage of all studies published up to December 2024. A total of 3 reviewers independently reviewed all published abstracts, according to established inclusion and exclusion criteria. The Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool 1.0 was used to evaluate the quality of the included studies. Information about the participants, interventions, and results were extracted.

Results:

Nine randomized controlled trials involving a total of 777 informal caregivers were included. Electronic health interventions significantly reduced caregiver burden (MD = -4.08, 95% CI: -6.11, -2.05, p<0.0001). Technology-Assisted Care Navigation and Support showed the strongest effect (MD = -6.09, 95% CI: -9.04, -3.13, p<0.0001), while web-based interventions demonstrated consistent effectiveness (MD = -4.37, 95% CI: -6.52, -2.23, p<0.0001) with minimal heterogeneity (I² = 2%). Age-stratified analysis indicated greater benefits among elderly caregivers (MD = -5.67, 95% CI: -8.29, -3.05, p<0.0001). Friend caregivers showed great improvements (MD = -7.34, 95% CI: -14.56, -0.12, p = 0.05), while effects for spouse and child caregivers were marginally statistically significant.

Conclusions:

Electronic health interventions are effective in reducing burden among informal caregivers of individuals with dementia. Interventions that integrate care navigation and web-based delivery are particularly beneficial, especially for older and non-family caregivers. These findings support the incorporation of accessible, digitally delivered support tools into dementia care frameworks to better address caregiver needs. Clinical Trial: The protocol was prospectively registered with the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO; registration ID: CRD42024625273), registered 28/12/2024.