Abstract
Objectives: The objective of this study was to examine participant’s experience with remote delivery during SYNERGIC@Home/SYNERGIE~Chez soi (NCT04997681), a home-based, double-blind, randomized controlled trial targeting older adults at risk for dementia. Metrics included study adherence, adverse events (AEs), participant’s attitudes towards technology, and protocol deviations (PDs) due to technological difficulties. Methods: Participants underwent 16 weeks of physical and cognitive interventions (three sessions/week) remotely administered in their homes via Zoom for HealthcareTM. Participants used a laptop, webcam, and required email and internet access. Throughout the trial, adherence, AEs, and PDs were recorded. Post- intervention, survey questions about satisfaction with technology were administered and semi-structured interviews were conducted which underwent thematic analysis. Results: Sixty participants, mean age 68.9 and 76.7% female, were randomized to one of four intervention arms, with 52 completing the 16-week intervention. Adherence rate was 87.5% with no significant difference between treatment arms (p=0.656). There were 88 AEs reported in 42 participants. The majority (71.6%) of AEs were unrelated to the intervention, and 69.3% were classified as mild. There was one serious AE, unrelated to the intervention. Most (74.9%) participants reported overall satisfaction with technology, with Zoom being both enjoyable (81.0%) and easy to use (96%). Most enjoyed using the computer (87%), and the majority (87.0%) encountered few difficulties with connectivity. Of the 2496 intervention sessions, 14 (0.56%) were missed due to technical difficulties. Technical difficulties requiring modification to the intervention, such as an unstable internet connection, were reported on 79 occasions (3.0%). Themes from the interviews were: participants built rapport with the research assistants; felt better participating; had fun; and technology helped overcome barriers to participation. Conclusions: Using technology to deliver dementia prevention interventions remotely was well received by participants Participation occurred safely from the comfort of their own home with few technical difficulties.