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Using smartphone technology to improve prospective memory functioning: A randomized controlled trial
Scullin MK, Jones WE, Phenis R, Beevers S, Rosen S, Dinh K, Kiselica A, Keefe FJ et al.. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 2021-11-17
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
Background A decline in the ability to perform daily intentions-known as prospective memory-is a key driver of everyday functional impairment in dementia. In the absence of effective pharmacological treatments, there is a need for developing, testing, and optimizing behavioral interventions that can bolster daily prospective memory functioning. We investigated the feasibility and efficacy of smartphone-based strategies for prospective memory in persons with cognitive impairment. Methods Fifty-two older adults (74.79 ± 7.20 years) meeting diagnostic criteria for mild cognitive impairment or mild dementia were enrolled in a 4-week randomized controlled trial. Participants were trained to use a digital voice recorder app or a reminder app to off-load prospective memory intentions. Prospective memory was assessed using experimenter-assigned tasks (e.g., call the laboratory on assigned days), standardized questionnaires, and structured interviews. Secondary dependent measures included days of phone and app usage, acceptability ratings, quality of life, and independent activities of daily living. Results Participant ratings indicated that the intervention was acceptable and feasible. Furthermore, after the four-week intervention, participants reported improvements in daily prospective memory functioning on standardized questionnaires (p p 2 = 0.285) and the structured interview (p p 2 = 0.079). Correlational analyses indicated that greater usage of the digital recorder or reminder app was associated with better prospective memory performance and greater improvements in instrumental activities of daily living (completed by care partners), even when controlling for condition, age, baseline cognitive functioning, and baseline smartphone experience. Conclusions Older adults with cognitive disorders can learn smartphone-based memory strategies and doing so benefits prospective memory functioning and independence.
Key findings
- Results Participant ratings indicated that the intervention was acceptable and feasible.
- Correlational analyses indicated that greater usage of the digital recorder or reminder app was associated with better prospective memory performance and greater improvements in instrumental activities of daily living (completed by care partners), even when controlling for condition, age, baseline cognitive functioning, and baseline smartphone experience.
Why it matters
In a 4-week randomized controlled trial of 52 older adults with mild cognitive impairment or mild dementia, training to use a digital voice recorder or reminder app was rated acceptable and feasible, and participants reported improved daily prospective memory on questionnaires and structured interviews. Greater app usage was associated with better prospective memory and greater improvements in instrumental activities of daily living, but this is a small short-term trial of a behavioral aid, not a treatment, cure or prevention.
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Study details
- Study designrandomized controlled trial
- Evidence strengthHigh
How this study scored 65/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal, and it is a randomised controlled trial. Scored zero for sample size and effect reported because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Journal of the American Geriatrics Society) |
| Journal's citation record | 3 / 4 | Journal of the American Geriatrics Society: journal h-index 344 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 11 / 12 | A randomised controlled trial |
| Strength of evidence | 5 / 5 | Rated “high” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 3 / 5 | 2022 — within 6 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 0 / 4 | Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 3 / 3 | Studied in people (pubmed indexes it as a clinical or observational study) |
| Randomised / blinded | 1 / 2 | Randomised (as stated in the record) |
| Times cited | 4 / 7 | Cited 95 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 3 / 5 | 15.8 citations a year over 6 year(s) since 2022 |
| Impact for its field and year | 4 / 6 | Cited 11.8× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 1 / 6 | Cited by 1 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 3 / 4 | Cited 67 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 2 / 4 | Last-listed author Jared F. Benge: h-index 24 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 1 / 3 | Duke Medical Center: institution h-index 1,255 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 2 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 6 institution(s) in 1 country |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 34786698) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 65 / 100 | — |
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Read the original
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Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. The record's author list ends in “et al.”, so not every author is named. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Scullin, M. K., Jones, W. E., Phenis, R., Beevers, S., Rosen, S., Dinh, K., et al. (2022). Using smartphone technology to improve prospective memory functioning: A randomized controlled trial. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. https://doi.org/10.1111/jgs.17551
Vancouver
Scullin MK, Jones WE, Phenis R, Beevers S, Rosen S, Dinh K, et al. Using smartphone technology to improve prospective memory functioning: A randomized controlled trial. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. 2022. doi:10.1111/jgs.17551. PMID: 34786698.
BibTeX
@article{scullin2022-34786698,
author = {Scullin, M. K. and Jones, W. E. and Phenis, R. and Beevers, S. and Rosen, S. and Dinh, K. and Kiselica, A. and Keefe, F. J. and others},
title = {{Using smartphone technology to improve prospective memory functioning: A randomized controlled trial}},
journal = {Journal of the American Geriatrics Society},
year = {2022},
doi = {10.1111/jgs.17551},
pmid = {34786698},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1111/jgs.17551}
}
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