• Skip to Content
  • Skip to Main Navigation
  • Skip to Search

Indiana University Bloomington Indiana University Bloomington IU Bloomington

Open Search
  • Undergraduate
    • Majors & Degrees
    • Minors & Certificates
    • Courses & Advising
      • Course Listing
      • Physical Activity Instruction Program
    • How to Apply
    • Costs and Finances
    • Contact & Visit
    • Virtual Tour
  • Masters
    • Majors & Degrees
    • Online program
    • How to Apply
      • International
      • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Courses & Advising
      • Course Listing
    • Costs and Financial Aid
    • Continuing Education
    • Certificates
    • Contact & Visit
    • Virtual Tour
  • Doctoral
    • Majors
    • How to Apply
      • International
      • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Courses & Advising
      • Course Listing
    • Costs and Financial Aid
    • Continuing Education
    • Contact & Visit Us
    • Virtual Tour
  • Career Services
    • Career Coaching
    • Student Outcomes
    • Recruit with Us
  • Student Experience
    • Life in the School of Public Health
    • Classroom Experience
    • Honors Program
    • Living Learning Center
    • Study Abroad
    • Research Day
  • Faculty & Research
    • Faculty Directory
      • Emeriti Faculty
    • Postdoctoral Fellows & Research Associates Directory
    • Centers and Institutes
    • Departments
      • Applied Health Science
      • Environmental and Occupational Health
      • Epidemiology and Biostatistics
      • Health & Wellness Design
      • Kinesiology
    • Bìguān 闭关
    • Book: It's About Knowing
    • Papers Published
  • Alumni & Giving
    • Ways to Give
    • Ways to Get Involved
    • Dean’s Alliance
    • Alumni Association Board
    • Distinguished Alumni Awards
  • About
    • Dean’s Welcome Message
    • Administration
    • Offices
    • People at the School
    • Accreditation
    • Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
      • Report of Diversity Initiatives 2020
      • Report of Diversity Initiatives 2019
      • School's Diversity Plan
      • Programming and Initiatives
      • Panorama
      • Campus Partners and Community Resources
    • Join our Team: Faculty/Academic Appointments
    • Join our Team: Staff Positions
    • Contact
    • Virtual Tour
  • Current SPH Students
    • Advising
    • Career Services
    • Internships
    • Financial Support
      • Scholarships
      • Fellowships
      • Fellowship & Scholarship Application
        • Fellowship & Scholarship Application: FAQs
    • Study Abroad
    • Student Organizations
    • Forms
    • Student Diversity & Inclusion
    • Graduation
    • Contact
  • News & Events
    • News
    • Events
    • Distinguished Colloquium Speaker Series
      • Past Speakers
    • For Media Professionals

School of Public Health

  • Home
  • Undergraduate
    • Majors & Degrees
    • Minors & Certificates
    • Courses & Advising
    • How to Apply
    • Costs and Finances
    • Contact & Visit
    • Virtual Tour
  • Masters
    • Majors & Degrees
    • Online program
    • How to Apply
    • Courses & Advising
    • Costs and Financial Aid
    • Continuing Education
    • Certificates
    • Contact & Visit
    • Virtual Tour
  • Doctoral
    • Majors
    • How to Apply
    • Courses & Advising
    • Costs and Financial Aid
    • Continuing Education
    • Contact & Visit Us
    • Virtual Tour
  • Career Services
    • Career Coaching
    • Student Outcomes
    • Recruit with Us
  • Student Experience
    • Life in the School of Public Health
    • Classroom Experience
    • Honors Program
    • Living Learning Center
    • Study Abroad
    • Research Day
  • Faculty & Research
    • Faculty Directory
    • Postdoctoral Fellows & Research Associates Directory
    • Centers and Institutes
    • Departments
    • Bìguān 闭关
    • Book: It's About Knowing
    • Papers Published
  • Alumni & Giving
    • Ways to Give
    • Ways to Get Involved
    • Dean’s Alliance
    • Alumni Association Board
    • Distinguished Alumni Awards
  • About
    • Dean’s Welcome Message
    • Administration
    • Offices
    • People at the School
    • Accreditation
    • Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
    • Join our Team: Faculty/Academic Appointments
    • Join our Team: Staff Positions
    • Contact
    • Virtual Tour
  • Search
  • Current SPH Students
  • News & Events
  • Home
  • News & Events
  • News
  • Study: Many Mobile Apps Provide Insufficient Support for Alzheimer's and Dementia Patient Caregivers

Study: Many Mobile Apps Provide Insufficient Support for Alzheimer's and Dementia Patient Caregivers

Wednesday, May 25, 2022

IU School of Public Health-Bloomington researchers evaluate caregiver apps in new study published in JMIR

Researchers from the Indiana University School of Public Health-Bloomington (IUSPH-B) recently published "Quality of Mobile Apps for Care Partners of People With Alzheimer Disease and Related Dementias: Mobile App Rating Scale Evaluation" in the Journal of Medical Internet Research (JMIR) mHealth and uHealth.

Drs. Nicole E. Werner, Richard J. Holden, and colleagues examined 17 available smartphone apps intended to assist members of the public who provide care to patients living with Alzheimer's disease or related dementia (ADRD). The authors note, "Over 11 million care partners in the United States who provide care to people living with [ADRD] cite persistent and pervasive unmet needs related to their caregiving role."

Mobile/smartphone app technologies have the potential to serve the needs caregivers who lack formal training and other critical resources and support. The researchers evaluated apps using the Mobile App Rating Scale (MARS). The scale includes 23 rating items across five dimensions: engagement, functionality, aesthetics, information, and subjective quality. The apps included in the JMIR study were, on average, determined to be of "minimally acceptable quality." 

Dr. Richard Holden
Dr. Richard Holden

"'Minimally acceptable' is simply not good enough," says Dr. Holden, a professor and Dean’s Eminent Scholar, who leads the IUSPH-B Department of Health & Wellness Design and also serves as a research scientist at the University Center for Aging Research at Regenstrief Institute. "As critical as it is to support dementia caregivers, we need apps that are more usable, better rooted in evidence, much more engaging, and are of overall higher quality."

Dr. Nicole Werner
Dr. Nicole Werner

Dr. Werner, who will join the department in the upcoming academic year, adds: "We’re working to make sure we make the high-quality mobile apps that care partners need and deserve, and one way we are doing this is through user-centered design."

Their research is available at bit.ly/38ceqtF. For more news about IUSPH-B, visit go.iu.edu/48bx.

  • News
  • Events
  • Distinguished Colloquium Speaker Series
  • For Media Professionals

Additional links and resources

  • Information for:
    • Current Students

      • Academic Forms Online
      • Academic Forms Download
      • Advising
      • Career Services
      • Internships
    • Faculty / Staff

      • Grant Administration Office
      • Dean's Office Guidelines
      • Academic Council Guidelines
      • HR Toolkit
      • Faculty / Staff Online Forms
  • Quick Links
    • Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
    • Faculty Directory
    • News
    • Events
    • Alumni
    • Giving
  • Join our Team
    • Administration & Faculty positions
    • Staff positions
  • Undergraduate Programs
    • Degrees & Majors
    • How to Apply
    • Contact
  • Master's Programs
    • Degrees & Majors
    • How to Apply
    • Contact
  • Doctoral Programs
    • Majors
    • How to Apply
    • Contact
  • Key Websites
    • Online Programs & Certificates
    • THRIVE Living-Learning Center
    • Grant Administration Office
    • Internships
    • Public Health Partnerships
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn

School of Public Health-Bloomington
1025 E. 7th Street,
Suite 111
Bloomington, IN 47405

Phone: 812-855-1561
Fax: 812-855-4983

Indiana University

Accessibility | Privacy Notice | Copyright © 2023 The Trustees of Indiana University