Shen Haifei, Han Yi, Shi Wen, Yu Jiangxuan, Shan Xueqi, Wang Hongyao, Wang Junjie
School of Nursing, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, China.
JMIR Mhealth Uhealth. 2025 Jun 18;13:e65983. doi: 10.2196/65983.
Supportive mobile apps are effective tools for family caregivers of persons with dementia to obtain online information and psychological support. Nevertheless, details about the experiences of family caregivers of persons with dementia using mobile apps are limited.
This study aimed to synthesize the perspectives and experiences of family caregivers of persons with dementia regarding supportive mobile apps.
We conducted a synthesis of qualitative research and searched 7 English-language databases and 4 Chinese-language databases. We included qualitative studies (peer-reviewed studies and gray literature) written in English and Chinese on the perspectives and experiences of family caregivers of persons with dementia regarding supportive mobile apps published from database establishment to March 2025. Two researchers independently screened the literature and used the JBI Critical Appraisal Checklist for Qualitative Research to conduct quality assessments on the final included studies. Themes were integrated using the 3-stage thematic synthesis approach by Thomas and Harden.
A preliminary search yielded 4772 studies, of which 12 (0.25%) met the criteria. The included studies were from 7 different countries or regions, of which the only low- or middle-income country was Brazil. The studies involved a total of 232 family caregivers, most of whom were older adults and female. The integration of extracted content resulted in 4 themes: dynamic changes in value perception-complex attitudes toward mobile app adoption; from tools to partners-a technology-empowered multidimensional support system for family caregivers; external and internal barriers-challenges in family caregivers' use of mobile apps; and person-centered design-future directions for improving mobile apps.
This study found that family caregivers' attitudes toward using supportive mobile apps are influenced by their perceived value of mobile apps and their caregiving burden. In addition, such supportive mobile apps serve as valuable tools for family caregivers to enhance their caregiving abilities and efficiency, alleviate the burden of care, improve negative emotions, foster social connections, and promote self-care. Future mobile app design needs to address obstacles such as design flaws, family caregivers' lack of technological literacy, time constraints, concerns about privacy breaches, and other device-related issues, with particular attention to the ease of use of mobile apps. Meanwhile, developers need to commit to designing personalized and multifunctional mobile apps as well as promote online collaboration among members of the care network. Overall, our study offers an important reference for developing person-centered supportive mobile apps for family caregivers of persons with dementia.
PROSPERO CRD42024510905; https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/view/CRD42024510905.
支持性移动应用程序是痴呆症患者家庭照顾者获取在线信息和心理支持的有效工具。然而，关于痴呆症患者家庭照顾者使用移动应用程序的体验细节有限。
本研究旨在综合痴呆症患者家庭照顾者对支持性移动应用程序的观点和体验。
我们进行了一项定性研究的综合分析，并检索了7个英文数据库和4个中文数据库。我们纳入了从数据库建立至2025年3月发表的、以英文和中文撰写的关于痴呆症患者家庭照顾者对支持性移动应用程序的观点和体验的定性研究（同行评审研究和灰色文献）。两名研究人员独立筛选文献，并使用JBI定性研究批判性评价清单对最终纳入的研究进行质量评估。使用Thomas和Harden的三阶段主题综合方法整合主题。
初步检索得到4772项研究，其中12项（0.25%）符合标准。纳入的研究来自7个不同的国家或地区，其中唯一的低收入或中等收入国家是巴西。这些研究共涉及232名家庭照顾者，其中大多数是老年人且为女性。提取内容的整合产生了4个主题：价值认知的动态变化——对采用移动应用程序的复杂态度；从工具到伙伴——为家庭照顾者提供的技术赋能多维支持系统；外部和内部障碍——家庭照顾者使用移动应用程序的挑战；以及以用户为中心的设计——改进移动应用程序的未来方向。
本研究发现，家庭照顾者对使用支持性移动应用程序的态度受其对移动应用程序的感知价值及其照顾负担的影响。此外，此类支持性移动应用程序是家庭照顾者提高其照顾能力和效率、减轻照顾负担、改善负面情绪、促进社会联系以及促进自我照顾的宝贵工具。未来移动应用程序的设计需要解决诸如设计缺陷、家庭照顾者缺乏技术素养、时间限制、对隐私泄露的担忧以及其他与设备相关的问题等障碍，尤其要关注移动应用程序的易用性。同时，开发者需要致力于设计个性化和多功能的移动应用程序，并促进护理网络成员之间的在线协作。总体而言，我们的研究为为痴呆症患者家庭照顾者开发以用户为中心的支持性移动应用程序提供了重要参考。
PROSPERO CRD42024510905；https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/view/CRD42024510905。
