Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 18, 2026
Methodology for Establishing a Community-Wide Life Laboratory for Capturing Unobtrusive and Continuous Remote Activity and Health Data
Published on: July 27, 2018
Online Self-Management Support for Family Caregivers to Help Them Manage Behavior Changes in Their Relative With
Judith G Huis In Het Veld1, Bernadette M Willemse2, Iris Fm van Asch2
1Department of Public and Occupational Health, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, Netherlands.
Background:
Online interventions are potentially effective ways to support family caregivers in the management of behavior changes in their relative with dementia.
Objective:
The objective of this paper is to present the design of a study evaluating and comparing 3 intervention arms for online self-management support.
Methods:
A randomized controlled trial (RCT) will be conducted with a total of 81 family caregivers of community-dwelling people with dementia in the Netherlands. Family caregivers will be randomly allocated to one of the following intervention arms: (1) a major self-management support intervention consisting of personal email contacts with a nurse specialized in dementia care, online videos, and electronic bulletins (e-bulletins); (2) a medium self-management support intervention consisting of only online videos and e-bulletins; and (3) a minor self-management support intervention with only e-bulletins. The primary outcome is the self-efficacy of the family caregiver. The secondary outcomes are the behavior problems of the person with dementia as reported by the family caregiver, and positive and negative aspects of the relationship. Background characteristics (eg, type of family relationship) will also be assessed. All data for the RCT will be collected via online questionnaires, administered before the intervention (T0), after 6 weeks (T1), and after 12 weeks (T2). Alongside the RCT, a process evaluation will be conducted, based on a number of evaluation questions and semi-open interviews with family caregivers.
Results:
Data collection will be completed in August 2017. Study results will be reported in early 2018.
Conclusions:
The study will shed more light on the effect of online self-management support interventions and insights will be gained into whether a major intervention, consisting of personal email contacts with specialized nurses, videos, and e-bulletins, has more effect than smaller online interventions. This is relevant in an age with increasing numbers of people with dementia, growing pressure on family caregivers, more and more people using the Internet, and increasing healthcare costs.
Trial Registration:
Nederlands Trial Registry (NTR): NTR6237; http://www.trialregister.nl/trialreg/admin/rctview.asp?TC=6237 (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/6v0S4fxTC).
Related Concept Videos
01:22Alzheimer's Disease: Treatment
01:24Nursing Process for Patient and Caregiver Teaching I: Assessment and Diagnosis
It is critical to determine the patient's learning needs during the assessment. Determination of learning needs compounds data...
01:29Documentation in Long-Term and Home Healthcare Setting
Long-Term Care Facilities
01:24Nursing Process for Patient and Caregiver Teaching II: Planning and Implementation
01:20Nursing Process for Patient and Caregiver Teaching III: Evaluation and Documentation
Nurses can use several methods to evaluate patient outcomes. For example, oral questions can assess cognitive learning,...