BACKGROUND
Dementia is a global public health priority with prevalence estimated to be 150 million by 2050; nearly two-thirds of whom will live in the Asia Pacific region. Dementia creates significant care needs for people with the disease, their families and carers. iSupport is a self-help platform developed by the World Health Organization to provide education, skills training and support to dementia carers. It has been adapted in some contexts (Australia, India, Netherland and Portugal). Carers using the existing adapted versions have identified the need to have a more user-friendly version that enables them to identify solutions for immediate problems in real-time quickly. The iSupport virtual assistant (iSupport VA) is being developed to address this gap and will be evaluated in a randomized controlled trial (RCT).
OBJECTIVE
This protocol outlines how a technologically enhanced version of the WHO iSupport program - the iSupport VA will be evaluated
METHODS
Seven versions of iSupport VA will be evaluated in Australia, Indonesia, New Zealand and Vietnam using a pilot RCT involving 140 carers (20 carers per iSupport VA version). Feasibility, acceptability, intention to use, and preliminary impact on carer perceived stress of the iSupport VA intervention will be assessed
RESULTS
Study findings from this intervention study will provide evidence on the feasibility and acceptability of the iSupport VA intervention, which will be the basis for conducting a full RCT to assess the effectiveness of the iSupport VA.
CONCLUSIONS
The study will be an important reference for countries planning to adapt and enhance the WHO iSupport program using digital health solutions.
CLINICALTRIAL
Australian New Zealand Clinical Trial (http://www.anzctr.org.au), Identifier: 381146.
Establishing a Regional Digital Health Interoperability Lab in the Asia-Pacific Region: Experiences and Recommendations
