Analysis of reporting quality of randomized controlled trials about telehealth interventions for caregivers of people with dementia (Preprint)

Abstract

Background: The Template for the Intervention Description and Replication (TIDieR)-Telehealth checklist and guide was published in 2022 to guide the reporting of telehealth interventions. However, there is little information regarding the adherence to TIDieR‑Telehealth guidelines in randomized controlled trials (RCTs) about care for dementia patients.

Objects：To access the quality of reporting of interventions in publications describing RCTs of telehealth in populations with caregivers of people with dementia.

Methods: Relevant RCTs on the telehealth interventions performed by caregivers for dementia patients were extracted from nine databases (Pubmed, The Cochrane Library, Web of Science, Embase, CINAHL, CBM, CNKI, WanFang and VIP Database). The retrieval time was from inception to 26, July, 2023. Three reviewers independently screened studies, extracted data, assessed the risk of bias (Cochrane risk of bias tool) and analyzed interventions according to the TIDieR-Telehealth checklist.

Results: A total of 38 eligible RCTs were included in the final analysis. Only 3 trials all TIDieR items in sufficient detail. The mean number of reported TIDieR items was 6.9 (SD = 1.0) of a possible 12. Most frequently reported were items regarding the brief name of the intervention, the rationale for the intervention, the materials and procedures of intervention. The most frequently missing elements were description of trial location, intervention personalization, intervention modifications and assessment of treatment fidelity.

Conclusions: We found that the majority of items remained unreported in the RCTs. Telehealth intervention should adhere to the TIDieR‑Telehealth guidelines more strictly to control the reporting quality.