Kim E, Baskys A, Law AV, et al. (2021). Scoping review: the empowerment of Alzheimer’s disease caregivers with mHealth applications. npj Digit. Med. 4, 131. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41746-021-00506-4
Mobile health technology has the potential to support the needs of caregivers of loved ones with Alzheimer’s Disease (AD). Researchers conducted a scoping review to examine the published literature of mHealth applications that support the caregivers of AD patients. A search was conducted in five electronic databases for published literature between 2014 and 2021. Twelve articles were identified and included in the final review. The researchers observed six themes based on the functionalities of the apps for caregivers: 1) tracking, 2) task management, 3) monitoring, 4) caregiver mental health support, 5) education, and 6) caregiver communications. The results found that mHealth apps for caregivers are inadequate because of a lack of comprehensive features, insufficient mental health support, and greater need for guidance related to early diagnosis of AD. Future research is needed to demonstrate how mHealth apps can better suit the needs of caregivers of patients with AD while maintaining quality and accuracy of information.