Implementation, facilitators and barriers, of eHealth with a self-management approach for informal caregivers of people with dementia: a narrative review

OBJECTIVES: eHealth and self-management interventions for informal caregivers of people with dementia show promising positive results for various health outcomes. However, their successful implementation in practice remains inconsistent. The aim of this study is to gain insight into facilitating factors and barriers of the implementation of eHealth interventions with a self-management approach for informal caregivers of people with dementia. METHOD: This narrative review included a systematic search of the databases PsycINFO, PubMed and Web of Science. Papers were screened against the inclusion criteria and then the text of eligible papers was qualitatively analyzed both manually and by computer assisted software. Findings were then mapped into the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR). RESULTS: Twenty papers were selected and seven themes emerged from the qualitative analysis: (1) Organizational, financial, and structural considerations in healthcare; (2) Characteristics of the eHealth interventions; (3) Attitudinal perspectives; (4) Awareness, familiarity and confidence; (5) Resource allocation and support; (6) Personal characteristics of the informal caregivers; and (7) Wider context factors to eHealth intervention implementation. Mapping the findings into the CFIR framework revealed that little is known about the implementation process. CONCLUSION: The alignment of eHealth interventions with current policy objectives and digital progress underlines their importance in real-world application.