Smartphone-based versus traditional face-to-face collaborative care for community-dwelling older adults living with dementia in China: protocol for an implementation science-based sequential multiple assignment randomised trial

INTRODUCTION: The high costs of institutional care and the burdensome demands of home care are challenging for families of adults with dementia. The collaborative care model (CCM) provides a potential solution to these challenges. Leveraging advancements in mobile technologies, smartphone-based management could offer a feasible means of providing collaborative care in a community setting. Therefore, this study aims to establish a CCM for home-cared older adults with dementia to determine the best strategy to deliver collaborative care, including both the channel and frequency of delivery. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: This study will be conducted in the communities of Chengdu city, Sichuan province, China. It is designed under the framework of implementation science. In the first stage, intervention strategies for community-dwelling older adults with dementia and their caregivers will be developed using Delphi methods and focus group interviews. The second stage will involve designing a sequential multiple assignment randomised trial to compare the effectiveness of face-to-face intervention versus a WeChat mini program-based intervention. This comparison will involve 358 pairs of older adults with dementia and their caregivers, with the frequency of intervention also assessed. Follow-up evaluations will be implemented at the 6th, 12th and 18th months post-intervention initiation. Primary outcomes encompass the proportion of patients demonstrating an improvement in quality of life and the proportion of caregivers exhibiting a reduction in caregiver burden. Analysis will be based on the intention-to-treat principle, and the generalised estimating equation approach will be used. Incremental cost-effectiveness ratios will be used to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of different delivery methods and frequencies. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: This study has received approval from the Ethics Committee of West China Fourth Hospital/School of Public Health, Sichuan University (Gwll2022004). Informed consent will be obtained for all participants. The findings of the study will be disseminated through peer-reviewed scientific journals. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: ChiCTR2200057945.