Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14279/19194
Title: Review and Selection of Online Resources for Carers of Frail Adults or Older People in Five European Countries: Mixed-Methods Study
Authors: Papa, Roberta 
Efthymiou, Areti 
Lamura, Giovanni 
Piccinini, Flavia 
Onorati, Giulia 
Papastavrou, Evridiki 
Tsitsi, Theologia 
Casu, Giulia 
Boccaletti, Licia 
Manattini, Alessandra 
Seneca, Rita 
Vaz de Carvalho, Carlos 
Durão, Rita 
Barbabella, Francesco 
Andréasson, Frida 
Magnusson, Lennart 
Hanson, Elizabeth 
Major Field of Science: Medical and Health Sciences
Field Category: Basic Medicine
Keywords: Informal carers;Mobile apps;Reliability;Usability;Websites
Issue Date: 17-Jun-2020
Source: JMIR mHealth and uHealth, 2020, vol. 8, iss. 6, article no. e14618
Volume: 8
Issue: 6
Journal: JMIR mHealth and uHealth 
Abstract: 17.06.2020. BACKGROUND: Informal carers have a crucial role in the care of older people, but they are at risk of social isolation and psychological exhaustion. Web-based services like apps and websites are increasingly used to support informal carers in addressing some of their needs and tasks, such as health monitoring of their loved ones, information and communication, and stress management. Despite the growing number of available solutions, the lack of knowledge or skills of carers about the solutions often prevent their usage. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to review and select apps and websites offering functionalities useful for informal carers of frail adults or older people in 5 European countries (Cyprus, Greece, Italy, Portugal, and Sweden). METHODS: A systematic online search was conducted from January 2017 to mid-March 2017 using selected keywords, followed by an assessment based on a set of commonly agreed criteria and standardized tools. Selected resources were rated and classified in terms of scope. Focus groups with informal carers were conducted to validate the list and the classification of resources. The activities were conducted in parallel in the participating countries using common protocols and guidelines, a standardization process, and scheduled group discussions. RESULTS: From a total of 406 eligible resources retrieved, 138 apps and 86 websites met the inclusion criteria. Half of the selected resources (109/224, 48.7%) were disease-specific, and the remaining resources included information and utilities on a variety of themes. Only 38 resources (38/224, 17.0%) were devoted specifically to carers, addressing the management of health disturbances and diseases of the care recipient and focusing primarily on neurodegenerative diseases. Focus groups with the carers showed that almost all participants had no previous knowledge of any resource specifically targeting carers, even if interest was expressed towards carer-focused resources. The main barriers for using the resources were low digital skills of the carers and reliability of health-related apps and websites. Results of the focus groups led to a new taxonomy of the resources, comprising 4 categories: carer's wellbeing, managing health and diseases of the care recipient, useful contacts, and technologies for eldercare. CONCLUSIONS: The review process allowed the identification of online resources of good quality. However, these resources are still scarce due to a lack of reliability and usability that prevent users from properly benefiting from most of the resources. The involvement of end users provided added value to the resource classification and highlighted the gap between the potential benefits from using information and communication technologies and the real use of online resources by carers.
URI: https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14279/19194
ISSN: 22915222
DOI: 10.2196/14618
Rights: © Roberta Papa, Areti Efthymiou, Giovanni Lamura, Flavia Piccinini, Giulia Onorati, Evridiki Papastavrou, Theologia Tsitsi, Giulia Casu, Licia Boccaletti, Alessandra Manattini, Rita Seneca, Carlos Vaz de Carvalho, Rita Durão, Francesco Barbabella, Frida Andréasson, Lennart Magnusson, Elizabeth Hanson. Originally published in JMIR mHealth and uHealth (http://mhealth.jmir.org),
Type: Article
Affiliation : Centre for Socio-Economic Research on Ageing 
Cyprus University of Technology 
University of Bologna 
Anziani e Non Solo Società Cooperativa Sociale 
Virtual Campus 
Linnaeus University 
Swedish Family Care Competence Centre 
Funding: This study was co-funded by the Erasmus+ programme of the European Union, under the Project “Apps for carers”, Grant Agreement n. 2016-1-SE01-KA204-022067. This study was partially supported by Ricerca Corrente funding from the Italian Ministry of Health to IRCCS INRCA.
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed
Appears in Collections:Άρθρα/Articles

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