Barriers to Using Mobile App-Based Cognitive Testing in Older Adults with Probable Alzheimer’s Disease: A Qualitative Study

<b>Background/Objectives</b>: Smart technologies have the potential to be rapid, sensitive, and cost-effective tools for real-life monitoring of cognitive function among older adults. Identifying barriers to using remote cognitive testing in older adults' daily lives is essential. However, obstacles of utilizing digital cognitive tests in community-dwelling older adults with probable Alzheimer's Disease (AD) remain unclear. The purpose of this study was to investigate barriers of older adults with probable AD toward using mobile app-based cognitive assessment. <b>Methods</b>: This was a qualitative study. Older adults with probable AD and their family caregivers were recruited from an outpatient clinic at a hospital's neurological department. Semi-structured interviews were performed. Characteristics of the participants were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Thematic analysis was conducted to identify barriers to using mobile app-based cognitive testing. <b>Results</b>: The study sample consisted of 32 older adults with probable AD and 19 family caregivers involving the use of at-home mobile app-based cognitive assessment every two weeks over 12 months. In this study, three main themes were identified, including barriers related to availability of family support, health-related barriers, and app-related barriers. <b>Conclusions</b>: Mobile app-based cognitive assessment could be a promising tool for detecting AD and monitoring cognition among older adults. A better understanding of the barriers to using at-home digital cognitive testing can facilitate the development of patient-centered and custom-built mobile applications for older adults with probable AD and improve their cognitive function.