Providing training and support to Spanish dementia caregivers living in rural and urban areas: insights and results from the iSupport-Sp study

BACKGROUND: Dementia care in rural areas is hindered by limited-service availability and long distances to urban-based facilities, exacerbating disparities in access to care services. This inequality is a major obstacle to ensuring universal timely diagnosis, treatment, and care. Technology-based interventions have emerged as a promising approach to improve access to caregiver support, yet evidence regarding their implementation in diverse geographical contexts remains limited. iSupport-Sp is a web-based platform designed to provide training and support for dementia caregivers. This study aimed to evaluate the usability, user experience, and preliminary effectiveness of iSupport-Sp among dementia caregivers residing in both rural and urban settings. METHODS: A single-phase mixed-methods study was conducted to explore the preliminary effectiveness of iSupport-Sp in enhancing dementia knowledge and alleviating caregiver burden, and to evaluate its usability and user experience among dementia caregivers from rural and urban areas. RESULTS: Participants reported high levels of acceptability, positive user experience, and ease of use. High levels of perceived satisfaction were reported at post-intervention, and dementia knowledge increased significantly following programme completion (W = -3.12; p = 0.002). No statistically significant effects were observed in self-perceived caregiver burden. Due to the limited sample size, statistical comparisons between rural and urban caregivers could not be conducted. CONCLUSIONS: iSupport-Sp was perceived as a promising and valuable tool for delivering training and support to dementia caregivers in both rural and urban settings. Future research with larger samples and more robust study designs is needed to examine differential effects across caregiver groups and to evaluate long-term outcomes.