ArticleJMIR mHealth and uHealth2018
Mobile Apps for Caregivers of Older Adults: Quantitative Content Analysis.
Article in JMIR mHealth and uHealth, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT05247801 (Safe Use of Medication at Home by Caregivers. Experimental Study), which is not on this map. Cited by 57 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Safe Use of Medication at Home by Caregivers. Experimental Study
Who cites it
57 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 140 citations in OpenAlex.
- A systematic review of the effectiveness of technological interventions for caregivers of people with dementia: effects on quality of life and psychoemotional variables.Frontiers in public health · 2025Pooled it
- Mobile Apps for Helping Informal Caregivers: A Systematic Review.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Pooled it
- A Web-Based Dementia Education Program and its Application to an Australian Web-Based Dementia Care Competency and Training Network: Integrative Systematic Review.Journal of medical Internet research · 2020Pooled it
- A randomised trial of a psychoeducational intervention to improve home care safety for informal caregivers.Scientific reports · 2026Trial
- A Mobile App-Based Intervention Program for Nonprofessional Caregivers to Promote Positive Mental Health: Randomized Controlled Trial.JMIR mHealth and uHealth · 2021Trial
- Application-Based Interventions for Family Caregivers of Older Adults: Scoping Review.JMIR aging · 2026Article
- Article
- Testing the effects of a text message intervention on depression and distress among Latino dementia caregivers: A randomized controlled trial protocol.Contemporary clinical trials · 2026Article
- Design and implementation of mHealth applications for older people with cancer: A scoping review.Asia-Pacific journal of oncology nursing · 2025Review
- Remote Intervention to Support Caregivers of Latino People with Dementia: Feasibility Study.medRxiv : the preprint server for health sciences · 2025Article
- Testing the effects of a text message intervention on depression and distress among Latino dementia caregivers: a randomized controlled trial protocol.medRxiv : the preprint server for health sciences · 2025Article
- Niece and nephew dementia caregivers: family relationships and care dynamics.The Gerontologist · 2025Article
- Perspectives and Experiences of Family Caregivers Using Supportive Mobile Apps in Dementia Care: Meta-Synthesis of Qualitative Research.JMIR mHealth and uHealth · 2025Article
- Challenges to accessing community dementia care services: a qualitative study.BMC health services research · 2025Article
- Digital Health Literacy and Physical Activity Programme for Improvement of Quality of Life in Caregivers of People with Dementia (CAREFIT): Study Protocol.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Intention to use a health information platform in supportive housing for people with disabilities: An application of the UTAUT model.PloS one · 2025Article
- Unpaid carers of people with dementia and information communication technology: Use, impact and ideas for the future.Dementia (London, England) · 2024Article
- Barriers to using eHealth/mHealth platforms and perceived beneficial eHealth/mHealth platform features among informal carers of persons living with dementia: a qualitative study.BMC geriatrics · 2024Article
- Navigating Through Innovation in Elderly's Health: A Scoping Review of Digital Health Interventions.Public health reviews · 2024Article
- Mindfulness-Based App to Reduce Stress in Caregivers of Persons With Alzheimer Disease and Related Dementias: Protocol for a Single-Blind Feasibility Proof-of-Concept Randomized Controlled Trial.JMIR research protocols · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundInformal caregivers of older adults provide critical support for their loved ones but are subject to negative health outcomes because of burden and stress. Interventions to provide information and resources as well as social and emotional support reduce burden. Mobile apps featuring access to information, assistance with scheduling, and other features can automate support functions inexpensively and conveniently and reach a greater proportion of caregivers than otherwise possible.
objectiveThe aim of this study was to identify mobile apps geared towards caregivers of older adults, catalog features, and suggest best practices for adoption based on empirical findings of beneficial interventions in the caregiving literature.
methodsSearch for apps focused on ones catered for caregivers of older adults in Google Play and iTunes, compiling their features, and identifying features reflecting categories of support identified in successful intervention studies to negative caregiver outcomes. Intervention research indicates that provision of information and resources, assistance in practical problem solving, coordinating care among multiple caregivers, and emotional support reduce caregiver burden.
resultsDespite approximately over 200,000 mobile health-related apps, the availability of mobile apps for caregivers is relatively sparse (n=44 apps) as of October 2017. Apps generally addressed specific categories of support, including information and resources, family communication, and caregiver-recipient interactions. Few apps were comprehensive. Only 8 out of 44 (18%) had features that addressed three or more categories. Few apps provided specific stress reduction exercises for caregivers, which is important for reducing burden.
conclusionsMobile apps have the potential to provide resources, just--in--time information for problem-solving, and stress reduction strategies for caregivers. Many apps offer functions that have been shown to reduce burden and improve health outcomes in caregivers, but few provide emotional support. Using an evidence--based practice approach, mobile apps for caregivers can provide multiple beneficial support functions. Apps can serve a much larger proportion of this highly underserved population in their mobile form than more traditional means, improving their health and quality of life.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.