Call for research on online training programs for carers’ mechanisms of change to increase the quality of online training for families of people with dementia
Guidance
Evaluations of the effectiveness of internet training programs should explore mechanisms of change and aspects of the intervention design, such as reliability, the type of device used and modality of the intervention.
Explanation and example
The systematic review (Egan et al 2018) of internet training support for familiy carers lacks detail about potential factors which may influence the effectiveness of online programs (i.e. type of connectivity, development of the intervention, usability, etc.). The quality of individual studies selected for the systematic review was limited as more than 50% of the studies showed incomplete data reporting, and 25% showed a selective reporting of outcomes according to the risk of bias assessment performed making the generalization of the results difficult. However, the systematic review reported improvements on carer’s mental health outcomes by internet training.
Type of evidence
Ángel C. Pinto Bruno (INDUCT ESR14)
Systematic literature review
References
Egan, K. J., Pinto-Bruno, A. C., Bighelli, I., Berg-Weger, M., van Straten, A., Albanese, E., & Pot, A. M. (2018). Online Training and Support Programs Designed to Improve Mental Health and Reduce Burden Among Caregivers of People With Dementia: A Systematic Review. J Am Med Dir Assoc, 19(3), 200-206.e201. doi.org/10.1016/j.jamda.2017.10.023
As training manager of INDUCT, I am responsible for the overall coordination and organization of the individual and network-wide training of our 15 ESRs. My main task is the organization of five INDUCT Summer and Winter Schools. Together with the local and management team, we identify needs and interests among the ESRs, compose a varied program for the week including training sessions, project meetings and social and networking events, invite academic and non-academic expert speakers, organize practical matters, and afterwards we evaluate the event, write a report, and try to incorporate all suggestions in our future training events.