Impact of the iWHELD digital person‐centered care program on quality of life, agitation and psychotropic medications in people with dementia living in nursing homes during the COVID‐19 pandemic: A randomized controlled trial

INTRODUCTION iWHELD is a digital person‐centered care program for people with dementia in nursing homes adapted for remote delivery during the COVID‐19 pandemic. METHODS A 16‐week two‐arm cluster‐randomized controlled trial in 149 UK nursing homes compared iWHELD with treatment as usual (TAU). Primary outcome was the overall quality of life with secondary outcomes of agitation and psychotropic use. RESULTS iWHELD conferred benefit to quality of life on the primary (F = 4.3, p = 0.04) and secondary measures of quality of life (F = 6.45, p = 0.01) and reduced psychotropic medication use (χ2 = 4.08, p = 0.04) with no worsening of agitation. Benefit was seen in participants who contracted COVID‐19, those with agitation at baseline, and those taking psychotropic medications. DISCUSSION iWHELD confers benefits to quality of life and key measures of well‐being, can be delivered during the challenging conditions of a pandemic, and should be considered for use alongside any emerging pharmacological treatment for neuropsychiatric symptoms. Highlights iWHELD is the only remote, digital delivery nursing home training programme for dementia care iWHELD improved quality of life in people with dementia and reduced antipsychotic use without worsening of agitation Residents who contracted Covid‐19 during the study also experienced benefits from iWHELD iWHELD offers a valuable, pandemic‐safe tool for improving dementia care