Incorporating technology in research with older bereaved adults: Lessons learned from conducting an internet-based randomized controlled trial

Objective

Digital health interventions (DHI) involve multiple interactions between the user, technology platform, and study team, posing challenges for implementation. This paper describes the lessons learned while implementing an internet-based randomized controlled trial (RCT) for reducing depression symptom burden in older acutely-bereaved adults.

Methods

The RCT was entitled “Widowed Elders' Lifestyle after Loss” (or WELL), which compared the efficacy of a DHI to an enhanced usual care (EUC) for reducing depression symptoms in adults 60+ years who lost their spouse/life partner within the previous 12 months. Participants randomized to the DHI used their own tablet, smartphone, or pc to record the timing and regularity of sleep, meals, and physical activity twice daily, for 12 weeks. The also received weekly health coaching sessions from a clinician certified in motivational interviewing. Participants randomized to the EUC arm received weekly calls from research staff and were assessed on the same schedule as intervention participants. All study procedures were conducted virtually. Methodological and procedural challenges were discussed weekly with study staff and the primary investigator.

Results

Many challenges can be categorized as follows recruiting virtually, obtaining informed consent, training older adults to use technology, and establishing rapport with older adults. Solutions required researcher and interventionist flexibility in adapting to new strategies. For instance, we redesigned the informed consent process to include a user-friendly brochure that enhanced participants' understanding of the RCT and improved our enrollment rate. We also utilized user-engagement in refining an intervention protocol.

Conclusion

We resolved implementation challenges without compromising internal validity via interdisciplinary collaborations with mobile programmers to ensure our technology met the unique and varied needs of aging users. The solutions from this study may promote the recruitment and retainment of older adults in research studies that use technology-based interventions.