Smartphone app for memory impairment in post-stroke older adults V1
Research type
Research Study
Full title
ApplTree: A Single Case Experimental Design Study of a Smartphone Reminding Application With Community-Dwelling Older Adults Who Have Sustained A Stroke.
IRAS ID
286103
Contact name
John Wilson
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
NHS Highland
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 11 months, 28 days
Research summary
Remembering to do things in future (prospective memory) is one of the most common memory problems reported by stroke survivors, with several interventions developed to aid prospective memory task performance. Assistive technology interventions aid prospective memory performance by serving as a ‘reminder’ tool; prompting the person to complete a task, at that specific moment. Assistive technologies have been shown to be effective in different groups of people experiencing prospective memory difficulties however, the effectiveness of these interventions in older adult stroke survivors is limited. This study aims to add to the literature regarding assistive technologies by investigating whether the smartphone reminding application “ApplTree“ is useful in reminding older adult stroke survivors, with memory difficulties, to complete personally meaningful tasks. Three to six participants and their carer/ significant other who resides with them, will be recruited by the Chest Heart and Stroke Team in NHS Highland. Potential participants will be given written information about the study. Those expressing interest in participating will be contacted by the primary researcher who will provide further information and gather informed consent. The researcher, participant and carer, will identify personally meaningful tasks which will be listed on a weekly monitoring form. Carers will place a tick or a cross beside each listed task to note whether the participant successfully or unsuccessfully completed the tasks, at the predetermined day and time during either a 5, 6- or 7-week baseline phase (without ApplTree prompts) and also during a 6 week intervention phase (with ApplTree prompts). The percentage of successful task completions will be calculated for each week of data collection during the baseline and intervention phases. Further analysis of the data will be completed to determine whether successful task completion was higher with the use of the ApplTree application, than it was prior to its introduction.
REC name
North of Scotland Research Ethics Committee 1
REC reference
20/NS/0108
Date of REC Opinion
30 Sep 2020
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion