Digital Learning Technology for Dementia Care Training in Long-term Care Professionals

Effects of Digital Learning Technology in Dementia Education Programs on Dementia Care Knowledge, Attitudes, and Interprofessional Collaboration Among Long-term Care Professionals

Dementia, including cognitive decline and behavioral and psychiatric symptoms of dementia (BPSD), presents a significant challenge to long-term care systems and family caregivers. While various digital educational resources are available, long-term care professionals often face challenges in practical care skills, communication, and emotional coping when managing individuals with moderate to severe dementia. To address these needs, a dementia education program integrating digital learning technologies was proposed to offer a meaningful, collaborative learning experience.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of this immersive learning dementia education program on long-term care professionals' dementia care knowledge, attitudes, and interprofessional collaboration competence (as the primary outcome variables).

This study utilized a quasi-experimental, waitlist control group pre- and post-test design. This study utilized a quasi-experimental, waitlist control group pre- and post-test design. Long-term care professionals were recruited from 12 community-based long-term care institutions in Taiwan. Participants were assigned to either the intervention group or the waitlist control group based on the order of enrollment.

The intervention group participated in an 8-hour, 4-unit immersive training program held during non-working hours. The curriculum included: an advanced dementia care lecture and case discussions; Virtual Reality (VR) dementia symptom simulation (using HTC VIVE Flow headsets) followed by reflective debrief; Augmented Reality (AR) interactive skill training (using the MAKAR Viewer mobile app); and experience sharing on ethical and legal issues in dementia care.

The waitlist control group maintained their routine continuing education during the study period and received the identical 8-hour training program after the follow-up assessments were completed.

All participants completed standardized questionnaires at three time points: at baseline (pre-test), immediately following the intervention (post-test), and at a 3-month follow-up. The outcomes measured included dementia care knowledge, dementia care attitudes, and interprofessional collaboration levels.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Interprofessional Collaboration; Long-Term Care Professionals; Dementia Knowledge and Attitudes; Dementia Education Program
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Dementia care education program; Behavioral: Routine education

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 150
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Taiwan
  • Taichung, Taiwan, 4070
    • Tunghai University

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria: (1)Must be a registered long-term care professional or care assistant currently employed in a long-term care institution; (2) Provided informed consent and voluntarily agreed to participate in this study; (3) Capable of using digital learning devices, including smartphone applications and virtual reality (VR) headsets.

Exclusion Criteria: (1)Severe visual or hearing impairments that prevent the effective use of digital learning materials or VR headsets; (2)A history of severe motion sickness, vertigo, or epilepsy that could be triggered by immersive virtual reality (VR) experiences.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

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

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Intervention Group; Participants received the 8-hour dementia care education program consisting of four sequential modules: (1) advanced dementia care lectures and case discussions, (2) immersive virtual reality (VR) symptom experiences using HTC VIVE Flow headsets followed by reflective group discussions, (3) augmented reality (AR) interactive care skill training via mobile applications combined, and (4) sharing experiences of ethical and legal issues in dementia care.	Behavioral: Dementia care education program; an 8-hour digital learning dementia care education program
Active Comparator: Control Group; Maintained routine education and completed parallel tests at T0, T1, and T2. The identical 8-hour program was provided to this group after T2 data collection ends.	Behavioral: Routine education; Maintaind routine education and completed parallel tests at T0, T1, and T2. The identical 8-hour digital learning dementia care program was provided to this group after T2 data collection ends.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Interprofessional collaboration level	Measured using the Collaboration subscale of the Chinese Version of the Assessment of Interprofessional Team Collaboration Scale (AITCS-C), this subscale assessed the extent to which long-term care professionals perceived themselves as team members who listened to and valued all members' perspectives, actively contributed professional insights, and engaged in shared decision-making. It consisted of 8 items rated on a 5-point Likert scale (ranging from 1 = Never to 5 = Always), and the total subscale score ranged from 8 to 40, with higher scores indicating a higher perceived level of interprofessional collaboration within the care team. Subgroup interactions based on occupational categories (healthcare professionals vs. care assistants) were evaluated.	Baseline (pre-test), immediately post-intervention, and at a 3-month follow-up post-intervention.
Knowledge of dementia care	Measured using the Taiwan Shortened Version of the Dementia Knowledge Assessment Scale (DKAS-s), this scale evaluated long-term care professionals' knowledge level across four distinct dimensions: (1) causes and characteristics of dementia, (2) communication and engagement, (3) dementia care needs, and (4) risk assessment and health promotion. The scale consisted of 16 items utilizing a partial credit scoring method, where each correct answer yielded 1 point, and incorrect or "don't know" responses yielded 0 points. The total score ranged from 0 to 16, with higher total scores indicating a higher level of understanding and knowledge of dementia care, and subgroup interactions based on occupational categories (healthcare professionals vs. care assistants) were evaluated.	Baseline (pre-test), immediately post-intervention, and at a 3-month follow-up post-intervention.
Attitude toward dementia	Measured using the Dementia Attitude Scale - Chinese Version (DAS-C), this scale evaluated long-term care personnel's attitudes toward individuals with dementia across two primary dimensions: (1) Social Comfort, which encompassed affective and behavioral components, and (2) Dementia Knowledge, which covered the cognitive component. The scale consisted of 17 items scored on a 5-point Likert scale (ranging from 1 = Strongly Disagree to 5 = Strongly Agree). The total score ranged from 17 to 85, with higher total scores indicating a more positive and favorable caregiving attitude toward people living with dementia. Subgroup interactions based on professional categories (healthcare professionals vs. care assistants) were evaluated.	Baseline (pre-test), immediately post-intervention, and at a 3-month follow-up post-intervention.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Interprofessional collaboration level changes by occupational category	Evaluated the subgroup interaction effect between occupational categories (healthcare professionals vs. care assistants) and time points within the intervention group using Generalized Estimating Equations (GEE). This analysis determined whether the treatment efficacy on interprofessional collaboration degrees (measured via the AITCS-C Collaboration subscale) differed significantly based on the participants' occupational categories.	Baseline (pre-test), immediately post-intervention, and at a 3-month follow-up.
Dementia care knowledge changes by occupational category	Evaluated the subgroup interaction effect between occupational categories (healthcare professionals vs. care assistants) and time points within the intervention group using Generalized Estimating Equations (GEE). This analysis determined whether the treatment efficacy on dementia care knowledge (measured via the DKAS-s) differed significantly based on the participants' occupational categories.	Baseline (pre-test), immediately post-intervention, and at a 3-month follow-up.
Dementia care attitude changes by occupational category	Evaluated the subgroup interaction effect between occupational categories (healthcare professionals vs. care assistants) and time points within the intervention group using Generalized Estimating Equations (GEE). This analysis determined whether the treatment efficacy on dementia care attitudes (measured via the DAS-C) differed significantly based on the participants' occupational categories.	Baseline (pre-test), immediately post-intervention, and at a 3-month follow-up.

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Tunghai University
• Collaborators: Kaohsiung Medical University

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): August 25, 2025
• Primary Completion (Actual): June 8, 2026
• Study Completion (Actual): June 8, 2026

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: June 25, 2026
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: June 25, 2026
• First Posted (Actual): July 1, 2026

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): July 1, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: June 25, 2026
• Last Verified: June 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Dementia; Interprofessional Collaboration; Long-Term Care Professionals; Digital Learning Technology
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Brain Diseases; Central Nervous System Diseases; Nervous System Diseases; Mental Disorders; Neurocognitive Disorders; Dementia; Behavior
• Other Study ID Numbers: KMUHIRB-E(I)-20250272; NSTC 114-2515-S-037-001 (Other Grant/Funding Number: This study was supported in part by a grant from the National Science and Technology Council, Taiwan (R.O.C))

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