Abstract
Background Most people living with dementia suffer from behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD), leading to poor quality of life and hospitalisations in informal caregivers and patients respectively. Telephones can potentially improve the accessibility of long-term dementia care support.
Aim To evaluate the effectiveness of telephone interventions in managing BPSD for patients with dementia and their informal caregivers in the community setting.
Method A systematic search of four databases (MEDLINE, Embase, PsycInfo, and SCOPUS) was conducted. We included studies with telephone interventions with no blended component, outcomes assessing the impact of these interventions on people with dementia, informal caregivers, and hospitalisations using quantitative measures.
Results Of 4355 studies screened, 12 met the inclusion criteria. Studies were conducted in five high-income countries, and the majority were randomised controlled trials (RCTs), with two non-RCTs and two pre-post intervention studies. Interventions included telephone calls, and online platforms. Most studies showed an improvement in BPSD and related burden, nine studies reported reduced BPSD symptoms, and five out of 12 showed a statistically significant decrease in these symptoms.
Conclusion Telephone interventions delivered through psychosocial and educational calls and online platforms are promising tools for reducing BPSD-related caregiver burden. Personalised telephone interventions may reduce BPSD severity and frequency. Further research with longer follow-up periods and including cost-effectiveness analyses is required to establish the global generalisability of these interventions and inform future practice including in low- and middle-income settings.
