Usability of a care coordination application to ease family caregiver burden: A dementia case study
M. Martinez, B. Ye, A. Mihailidis
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AbstractBackground ： In Canada, an unprecedented number of friends and family are caregivers. Caregiving is known to impact psychological well-being, especially when a loved one has dementia, although good family functioning and high self-efficacy are associated with increased resiliency. Emerging care coordination technologies aim to ease the burden of care; however, little is known about their effectiveness. This case study aims to evaluate the usability of a care coordination application (app) and its effectiveness at easing caregiver burden. Methods ： Data from 2 dyads (primary and secondary caregivers) were analyzed from a total 4 family participants who were recruited from a Toronto-based memory clinic to use the app, ZalioTM to coordinate care for a loved one with Alzheimer’s disease for 6 weeks. Zalio’s developer trained participants prior to practice and active use phases. System Usability Scale (SUS) assessed perceived usability every 2 weeks. The Revised Scale for Caregiving Self-Efficacy, Short version of the Zarit Burden Interview (ZBI), and General Functioning (GF) subscale of the McMaster Family Assessment Device (FAD) measured caregiving self-efficacy, caregiver burden, and perceived family functioning, at baseline and week 6. Results All participants rated ZalioTM a usable and above average app (SUS > 68). No consistent improvement was seen in self-efficacy. Caregiver burden scores decreased on short version of ZBI in secondary caregivers. GF scores on subscale of FAD decreased in primary caregivers and one secondary caregiver. Implications： Our research is a first step towards understanding the usability of a care coordination app. Further studies with larger samples are required to determine its effectiveness at easing caregiver burden.Keywords: case study, dementia, family caregiving, caregiver burden, applications, care coordination, ZalioTM
M. Martinez, B. Ye, A. Mihailidis (2018). Usability of a care coordination application to ease family caregiver burden: A dementia case study. Gerontechnology, 17(3), 181-193
https://doi.org/10.4017/gt.2018.17.3.006.00