Islam Muhammed Nazmul, Musarrat Parsa, Konradsen Hanne, Tyrrell Marie, Roy Antara, Anik Asibul Islam, Kabir Zarina Nahar
Research and Evaluation Department, SAJIDA Foundation, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
North Zealand Hospital, Hillerod, Denmark.
PLoS One. 2025 Jun 13;20(6):e0326207. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0326207. eCollection 2025.
Dementia is a growing global public health concern, particularly in LMICs like Bangladesh. With population aging, there is an increasing prevalence of dementia; care facilities are limited. This scarcity of services places a significant responsibility on untrained family caregivers, impacting the health of persons with dementia and their caregivers. Addressing these challenges is crucial for improving dementia care, especially in resource-constrained settings. Recognizing the urgency, the WHO developed an online self-training manual, iSupport, emphasizing education, skill development, and support for caregivers. This study aims to test feasibility of iSupport i) in improving knowledge about dementia and dementia care among family and formal caregivers, and ii) reducing family caregivers' stress and improving their caregiving skills, mental health, quality of life and relationship with the person with dementia cared for. The study protocol was approved by the Institutional Review Board of SAJIDA Foundation (2024-005-SFIRB). This non-randomized feasibility study aims to recruit 44 family caregivers and 132 formal caregivers from Dhaka, Bangladesh, using a purposive sampling technique. Participants will be provided access to iSupport for two months. Pre- and post-intervention surveys will be conducted to assess changes in knowledge about dementia care among both family and formal caregivers, as well as changes in psychological well-being among family caregivers. To assess knowledge retention, a follow-up survey will be conducted. Any differences in the outcomes from the pre-intervention period will be tested against the null hypothesis of zero mean difference using a two-sample paired t-test. Additionally, multivariable regression techniques will also be used to control for possible confounders. To understand the facilitators and barriers of implementing iSupport, a qualitative approach will be used to interview 15 family caregivers and conduct four FGDs with formal caregivers. Qualitative data will be analysed using an inductive content analysis approach.
痴呆症是一个日益严重的全球公共卫生问题，在孟加拉国等低收入和中等收入国家尤为突出。随着人口老龄化，痴呆症的患病率不断上升，而护理设施却很有限。服务的匮乏给未经培训的家庭护理人员带来了重大责任，影响了痴呆症患者及其护理人员的健康。应对这些挑战对于改善痴呆症护理至关重要，尤其是在资源有限的环境中。认识到紧迫性，世界卫生组织开发了一个在线自我培训手册“iSupport”，强调对护理人员的教育、技能发展和支持。本研究旨在测试“iSupport”的可行性：一是提高家庭和专业护理人员对痴呆症及痴呆症护理的认识；二是减轻家庭护理人员的压力，提高他们的护理技能、心理健康水平、生活质量以及与所照顾的痴呆症患者的关系。该研究方案已获得SAJIDA基金会机构审查委员会的批准（2024 - 005 - SFIRB）。这项非随机可行性研究旨在采用目的抽样技术，从孟加拉国达卡招募44名家庭护理人员和132名专业护理人员。参与者将有两个月的时间使用“iSupport”。干预前后将进行调查，以评估家庭和专业护理人员对痴呆症护理认识的变化，以及家庭护理人员心理健康状况的变化。为了评估知识保留情况，将进行后续调查。干预前期结果的任何差异将使用双样本配对t检验，针对均值差异为零的原假设进行检验。此外，还将使用多变量回归技术来控制可能的混杂因素。为了了解实施“iSupport”的促进因素和障碍，将采用定性方法采访15名家庭护理人员，并与专业护理人员进行4次焦点小组讨论。定性数据将采用归纳式内容分析法进行分析。
