Dementia Communication Training Program for Novice Home Care Workers

November 24, 2025 updated by: Huei-Chuan Sung, Tzu Chi University

Evaluation of a Dementia Communication Training Program Using a Real-time Interactive Virtual Trainer Among Novice Home Care Workers

This study aims to evaluate the effects of a dementia communication training program using a real-time interactive virtual trainer among novice home care workers.

Study Overview

Status

Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

This randomised controlled trial aims to evaluate the effects of a dementia communication training program using a real-time interactive virtual trainer on dementia knowledge, communication skills, empathy, and competence of managing behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) among novice home care workers.

The virtual trainer (VT) group will receive the 8-week virtual trainer-based dementia communication training.

The control group will receive the 8-week scenario-based discussions dementia communication training.

Both groups will be assessed for their dementia knowledge, communication skills, empathy, and competence of managing BPSD at baseline, week 4, and week 18, and week 12.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

102

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Novice home care workers who had been employed in home care agencies for less than one year.
  • ages ranging from 20 to 65 years,
  • completed care worker training program
  • Had not previously received any virtual trainer training.
  • Taiwanese nationality
  • provided informed consent to participate in the study.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • home care workers who do not meet the inclusion criteria

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Health Services Research
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: virtual trainer-based dementia communication training
8-week dementia communication training program using a real-time interactive virtual trainer
Other: virtual trainer-based dementia communication training
8-week dementia communication training program using a real-time interactive virtual trainer
Active Comparator: scenario-based discussions dementia communication training
8-week dementia communication training program using scenario-based discussions
Other: scenario-based discussions dementia communication training
8-week dementia communication training program using scenario-based discussions

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Dementia Knowledge Assessment Scale
Time Frame: baseline, week 4, week 8, week 12
Dementia Knowledge, total score ranges from 0 to 50, with higher scores indicating a higher level of knowledge.
baseline, week 4, week 8, week 12
Caregiver Communication Competence Scale
Time Frame: baseline, week 4, week 8, week 12
communication skills, total score ranges from 14 to 56, with higher scores indicating stronger communication skills.
baseline, week 4, week 8, week 12

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Jefferson Scale of Empathy
Time Frame: baseline, week 4, week 8, week 12
empathy, total score ranges from 20 to 140, with higher scores indicating a more positive level of empathy.
baseline, week 4, week 8, week 12
Competence Scale in Managing Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia
Time Frame: baseline, week 4, week 8, week 12
Competence in Managing Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia, the total score ranges from 28 to 140, with higher scores indicating better ability to manage behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD).
baseline, week 4, week 8, week 12

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Tzu Chi University

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: HUEICHUAN SUNG, Tzu Chi University

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Estimated)

December 15, 2025

Primary Completion (Estimated)

July 31, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

July 31, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

November 17, 2025

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

November 17, 2025

First Posted (Estimated)

November 24, 2025

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

December 2, 2025

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

November 24, 2025

Last Verified

November 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • YLH-IRB-11326

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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