Evidence mapPaperPMID 40925598Full record

Trial reportJournal of medical Internet research2025

Supporting Informal Dementia Caregivers Through an iSupport Web-Based Primary Health Care Intervention: Hybrid Effectiveness-Implementation Mixed Methods Study.

Shasha Yuan, Jingbin Zhang, Zheng Wang, Huali Wang, Mengmeng Xia

Abstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
In one paragraph

Trial report in Journal of medical Internet research, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
6citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

6 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Article
  3. Review
  4. Article
  5. Article
  6. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Shasha YuanInstitute of Medical Information/Medical Library, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5091-6688
Jingbin ZhangInstitute of Medical Information/Medical Library, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0005-6406-7380
Zheng WangInstitute of Medical Information/Medical Library, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0008-4076-6891
Huali WangDementia Care and Research Center, Peking University Institute of Mental Health (Sixth Hospital), Beijing, China.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3213-6493
Mengmeng XiaDementia Care and Research Center, Peking University Institute of Mental Health (Sixth Hospital), Beijing, China.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0005-8578-8881

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundInformal caregivers of home-dwelling people with dementia experience significant unmet needs. However, family physician teams as primary health care gatekeepers for aging populations in China remain an underused resource for structured caregiver support.

objectiveThis hybrid effectiveness-implementation study aimed to evaluate a policy-aligned integration of the World Health Organization's iSupport web-based program with China's family physician contract services for informal dementia caregivers while systematically assessing implementation determinants using the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR).

methodsA cluster randomized controlled trial enrolled 120 informal caregivers of people with dementia in Beijing randomly assigned to either the intervention group (n=60) receiving the family physician team-guided iSupport intervention plus usual care or the control group (n=60) receiving usual care plus only iSupport registration. Caregiver burden (primary outcome) and quality of life, social support, and learning behaviors (secondary outcomes) were assessed at baseline and the postintervention time point. Intention-to-treat analysis was applied. The quantitative data were analyzed using linear mixed models and generalized linear mixed models. Implementation barriers and facilitators were explored through CFIR-guided thematic analysis of semistructured interviews with 34 stakeholders.

resultsThe intervention revealed no substantial between-group differences in caregiver burden (β=-3.80, 95% CI -11.25 to 3.65, P=.32), quality of life (β=-1.55, 95% CI -6.59 to 3.49, P=.55), or social support (β=0.85, 95% CI -2.86 to 4.56, P=.65). However, it demonstrated significantly improved learning behaviors in the intervention group (β=2.35, 95% CI 1.03-3.67; P<.001). CFIR analysis identified multilevel barriers: (1) policy-finance misalignment excluding dementia care from essential services, (2) digital adaptation gaps for older users, (3) lack of performance incentives in primary health care, (4) caregivers' technological and time constraints, and (5) conflicts between standardized content and personalized needs.

conclusionsThis iSupport-based primary health care intervention presents a policy-aligned support model for dementia caregivers in China. While core outcomes showed no significant improvement, enhanced learning behaviors suggest potential for caregiver empowerment. Key implementation insights focused on optimizing digital platforms, strengthening policy incentives, and personalizing support. These findings offer a scalable, policy-aligned model for dementia care management by leveraging primary health care networks, particularly in low- and middle-income countries.

trial registrationChinese Clinical Trial Registry ChiCTR2400084788; https://www.chictr.org.cn/showproj.html?proj=223091.

Indexed as

CaregiversDementiaInternetPrimary Health CareAgedChinaFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedQuality of LifeSocial Supportcluster randomized controlled trialimplementation scienceinformal dementia caregiversiSupport programprimary health care

Identifiers

PMID40925598
PMCPMC12457867

What Socratic holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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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 Socratic graph.