Helping the Helpers - A research protocol for user-centered technology to aid caregiver management of medications for people with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias

Abstract

Background and objective: Systematically supporting caregiver-assisted medication management through IT interventions is a critical area of need toward improving outcomes for people living with ADRD and their caregivers, but a significant gap exists in the evidence base from which IT interventions to support caregivers' medication tasks can be built. User-centered design can address the user needs evidence gap and provide a scientific mechanism for developing IT interventions that meet caregivers' needs. The present study employs the three phases of user-centered design to address the first two stages of the NIH Stage Model for Behavioral Intervention Development.

Methods: We will conduct a three-phase study employing user-centered design techniques across three aims: Aim 1) assess the needs of ADRD caregivers who manage medications for people with ADRD (Stage 0); Aim 2) co-design a prototype IT intervention to support caregiver-assisted medication management collaboratively with ADRD caregivers (Stage IA); and Aim 3) feasibility test the prototype IT intervention with ADRD caregivers (Stage IB).

Discussion: Our user-centered design protocol provides a template for integrating the three phases of user-centered design to address the first two stages of the NIH Stage Model that can be used broadly by researchers who are developing IT interventions for ADRD caregivers.