A pilot randomized controlled trial on iSupport in India: Results on the use of the online program and its effectiveness

Authors:
Open Access
Publisher website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Background: The World Health Organization’s online program ‘iSupport’ for family caregivers of people with dementia was adapted and pilot‐tested in India. Although there are promising outcomes of Internet‐based interventions in Western countries, there has hardly been any research on the use and effectiveness of such interventions in developing countries.Methods: Caregivers were recruited from multiple sources including physician referrals, advertisement and word‐of‐mouth. 338 caregivers were assessed for eligibility of which 187 were excluded in the trial. 151 caregivers were randomized to either the intervention group (iSupport; n=74) or the comparison group (web‐based education only; n=77). Of these, 29 caregivers in the iSupport group and 26 in the control condition completed the 3‐month follow‐up assessment. Linear regression analysis was carried out to analyze the data.Results: Of the 151 randomized caregivers, 81 (54%) were male and 144 (95%) had a Bachelor’s degree or higher. In terms of caregiver relationship, the majority (60%) were adult children, followed by spouses (21%). No significant differences could be shown in the intervention and control conditions at 3‐month follow‐up on the primary outcomes depressive symptoms and feelings of burden. However, we did find a significant improvement in caregivers’ person‐centred attitude towards persons with dementia in the iSupport group.Conclusion: Although no significant differences were found on the primary outcome measures, the significant improvement on person‐centredness of caregivers in the iSupport group is encouraging, since the number of participants and hence the power to find changes, was small. The difficulty in recruiting and retaining participants require closer attention and indicates need for further adaptations of the online iSupport programme. From this pilot study important lessons have been learned that will be discussed during the presentation and will guide further development of caregiver support in India.