ArticleJMIR mHealth and uHealth2025
Perspectives and Experiences of Family Caregivers Using Supportive Mobile Apps in Dementia Care: Meta-Synthesis of Qualitative Research.
Article in JMIR mHealth and uHealth, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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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.
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Who cites it
10 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Development and content evaluation of a multidimensional coping model-based health education manual for dementia care support.Frontiers in public health · 2026Pooled it
- Development and effectiveness of a user-centered mobile application for informal caregivers of people living with dementia: randomized controlled trial.BMC geriatrics · 2026Trial
- User Testing an mHealth Behavioral Health App for Hopi/Tewa Youth During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Usability Study.JMIR formative research · 2026Article
- A mobile app (mWITH ME) for family caregivers of persons living with Alzheimer's disease: development and initial evaluation.BMC medical informatics and decision making · 2026Article
- Article
- Facilitating use of mobile health in mental health care: Perspectives of patient, caregiver and provider in Nigeria.Global mental health (Cambridge, England) · 2026Article
- Using Crowdsourcing Internet of Things Technology to Reduce Caregiver Worry in Dementia-Related Lost Episodes: Longitudinal Observational Study.JMIR human factors · 2025Observational
- Supporting Family Caregivers in an Aging Society: The Need for Comprehensive, Evidence-Based Interventions.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2025Article
- Medicaid Education and Eligibility Planning for Caregivers: Website Usability and Validation Study.JMIR aging · 2025Article
- Development and Validation of an App Rating System for Caregiver Financial Management Apps.Sage open agingArticle
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundSupportive 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.
objectiveThis study aimed to synthesize the perspectives and experiences of family caregivers of persons with dementia regarding supportive mobile apps.
methodsWe 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.
resultsA 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.
conclusionsThis 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.
trial registrationPROSPERO CRD42024510905; https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/view/CRD42024510905.
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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.