Smart-device Apps as Memory Aids

Patients experience problems with their memories from a variety of causes. There has been much work showing that the use of low tech devices, such as notebooks or diaries, can help patients remain independent. More recently, the use of electronic devices, such as digital voice recorders or pagers, has proved equally beneficial. Many of functions of memory aids could potentially be carried out by a smartphone or tablet using inbuilt functions such as a calendar or maps, as well as through downloadable apps, such as medication reminders. The investigators have surveyed the investigators patients to show that many of them already own smartphones and this number has dramatically increased in the last year. This project aims to investigate the feasibility and efficacy of using smartphone and tablet apps as memory aids in a clinical setting.

Study Overview

• Status: Unknown
• Conditions: Memory Disorders
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Smart-device apps as memory aids

Detailed Description

Purpose and design

This study will trial the use of smartphones and apps as memory aids with patients who have memory problems. There have been some case study reports in the literature but the investigators would like to use this study to investigate how feasible it is to offer these kinds of support within an NHS memory aids service.

Recruitment

Patients (and their relatives/carers, where relevant)will be recruited from those already referred to the Memory Aids Service run within the Neuropsychiatry and Memory Disorders Clinic at St Thomas's Hospital, within the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust. It is made clear in the Participant Information Sheet (one for patients and one for relatives/carers) that participation is voluntary and if patients do not want to take part, they will still receive personalised help and advice in the Memory Aids Service.

Inclusion/Exclusion

This project will be offered to patients who own their own smartphone; the project is unable to support costs of buying smartphones for patients and paying for any data usage. Patients who do not have smartphones will still receive memory aids support, but instead will receive help as is standardly given using other memory aids.Patients will be excluded if they do not have adequate levels of English or motor skills to use the apps.

Consent

Patients will be identified as possible participants during their routine memory aids assessment clinic visit by a member of the clinical care team. Only those with capacity to consent will be invited to take part. Those interested in taking part will be given a patient information sheet at the end of their assessment appointment (as will their relatives/carers where relevant) and the study will be briefly explained orally. Patients (and their relatives/carers) who do decide to participate will sign the consent form at the beginning of their next Memory Aids appointment and it will be stressed that participation is voluntary and they can withdraw at any time.

Confidentiality

Access to clinical data (pre- and post- intervention memory, mood, functioning, goal and carer stress scores, neuropsychological test scores and interview transcripts) will be restricted to those in the clinical care team until data is fully anonymised. Patients will be asked for consent for their data to be used for the study and a specific point on the informed consent form should be initialled to allow this.

Risks, burdens and benefits

The investigators hope that patients will find benefits in using smartphones as memory aids. The investigators will pay for any apps that are selected to use with them and offer instructions. Use of electronic aids and alarms on phones is well practised within the existing memory aids service. This project adds a semi-structured interview and follow-up phone call and therefore a limited burden for research participants and in some cases their relatives/carers. Since the intervention is non-invasive, the risk to participants is very low.

• Study Type: Observational
• Enrollment (Anticipated): 30

Contacts and Locations

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years to 95 years (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Adults attending an NHS memory clinic with fluent English and in possession of a smart-phone or tablet

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Subjective memory problems
• Fluent English
• Owns a smartphone or tablet
• sufficient motor skills to operate the smartphone or tablet
• sufficient eyesight to see the smartphone or tablet

Exclusion Criteria:

-

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Observational Models: Case-Only
• Time Perspectives: Prospective

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Prospective and Retrospective Memory Questionnaire PRMQ	Subjective memory questionnaire	End of intervention, on average 2 months
Meta-memory questionnaire MMQ	Questionnaire about beliefs about memory, problems and strategies	End of intervention, on average 2 months
Hospital Anxiety and Depression Inventory HADS	Questionnaire about anxiety and depression	End of intervention, on average 2 months
Revised carer stress index	Questionnaire about carer stress	End of intervention, on average 2 months
Semi-structured interview	Semi-structured interview about usability and usefulness of memory aid apps	End of intervention, on average 2 months
Brief phone call	Brief phone call to ask which apps are still being used	1 year post treatment

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: King's College London
• Collaborators: Maudsley Charity
• Investigators: Study Director: Jennifer Liebscher, MA, South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Migo EM, Haynes BI, Harris L, Friedner K, Humphreys K, Kopelman MD. mHealth and memory aids: levels of smartphone ownership in patients. J Ment Health. 2015;24(5):266-70. doi: 10.3109/09638237.2014.951479. Epub 2014 Sep 4.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start: December 1, 2014
• Primary Completion (Anticipated): December 1, 2016
• Study Completion (Anticipated): December 1, 2017

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: October 28, 2014
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: October 30, 2014
• First Posted (Estimate): November 2, 2014

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimate): November 2, 2014
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: October 30, 2014
• Last Verified: October 1, 2014

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Nervous System Diseases; Neurologic Manifestations; Neurobehavioral Manifestations; Memory Disorders
• Other Study ID Numbers: 139664