Thompson Amber D, Terrill Alexandra L, Caserta Michael, Wong Bob, Iacob Eli, Sparks Catharine, Stark Louisa, Utz Rebecca L
College of Social & Behavioral Science, University of Utah, 260 S Central Campus Dr, Salt Lake City, UT, 84112, United States, 1 801-581-6153.
College of Health, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, United States.
JMIR Aging. 2025 Aug 18;8:e71792. doi: 10.2196/71792.
Interventions that are self-administered and delivered online are increasingly being seen as a flexible way to support family caregivers. Intervention research should prioritize the measurement of feasibility throughout all of the stages of intervention development and evaluation to provide the essential feedback loop needed for the iterative development and refinement process.
We describe the methodology and data used to assess the feasibility, usability, and acceptability of the Time for Living and Caring (TLC) intervention, a technology-delivered intervention (app) for dementia caregivers to improve respite time use.
The feasibility analysis is theoretically guided by a multidimensional definition of feasibility and uses a mixed-methods research design. Stakeholder feedback collected via focus groups during intervention development (n=15), self-reported surveys from participants enrolled in the pilot trial of the intervention (n=163), surveys of a nationwide sample of respite providers (n=57), and end-user statistics, captured passively by Google Analytics from those using the app, were used in the feasibility analysis of the TLC intervention.
The TLC study used an appropriate design and data collection procedures, along with acceptable recruitment capability. Out of 5 intervention features, 4 received favorable ratings (range of 82%-99%) by intervention participants and respite providers, which, when combined with open-ended recommendations for improvements, indicate a high degree of usability. Acceptability was measured through appraisal of the intervention experience (135/159, 85% positive), potential future use (127/163, 78%), willingness to recommend (148/163, 91%), and perceived benefit (135/163, 83%).
Taken together, the data suggest that the TLC app is a promising intervention that could be implemented as an on-demand resource for respite-using caregivers, irrespective of where they are located or when they choose to access it. Additionally, this paper provides a blueprint for systematically evaluating multiple dimensions of feasibility, using various forms of mixed-methods data collected during intervention development and pilot testing of an intervention, which should help streamline the eventual implementation of effective interventions in real-world settings.
自我管理且通过网络提供的干预措施越来越被视为支持家庭照料者的一种灵活方式。干预研究应在干预开发和评估的所有阶段将可行性测量作为优先事项，以提供迭代开发和完善过程所需的关键反馈循环。
我们描述了用于评估“生活与照料时光”（TLC）干预措施的可行性、可用性和可接受性的方法及数据，TLC是一种通过技术提供的干预措施（应用程序），旨在帮助痴呆症照料者更好地利用喘息时间。
可行性分析在理论上以可行性的多维定义为指导，并采用混合方法研究设计。在干预开发期间通过焦点小组收集的利益相关者反馈（n = 15）、参与干预试点试验的参与者的自我报告调查（n = 163）、对全国范围内喘息服务提供者样本的调查（n = 57）以及由谷歌分析被动收集的使用该应用程序者的最终用户统计数据，都用于TLC干预措施的可行性分析。
TLC研究采用了适当的设计和数据收集程序，以及可接受的招募能力。在5项干预功能中，4项获得了干预参与者和喘息服务提供者的好评（评分范围为82% - 99%），再结合关于改进的开放式建议，表明该干预措施具有高度可用性。可接受性通过对干预体验的评价（135/159，85%为正面评价）、未来潜在使用意愿（127/163，78%）、推荐意愿（148/163，91%）以及感知益处（135/163，83%）来衡量。
综合来看，数据表明TLC应用程序是一种有前景的干预措施，可作为使用喘息服务的照料者的按需资源加以实施，无论他们身在何处或何时选择使用。此外，本文提供了一个蓝图，用于系统评估可行性的多个维度，并利用在干预开发和试点测试期间收集的各种形式的混合方法数据，这应有助于简化有效干预措施在现实环境中的最终实施。
