Family caregivers’ experiences with mHealth and related digital health support for people living with dementia: a qualitative evidence synthesis using JBI meta-aggregation

To synthesize qualitative evidence on the perceived experiences, barriers, and support needs of family caregivers of people living with dementia when using mHealth and related digital health support, and to clarify acceptability, usability, feasibility, and implementation considerations for dementia home care. PubMed, Web of Science, PsycINFO, Embase, CINAHL, Cochrane Library, CNKI, Wanfang, VIP, and SinoMed were searched from database inception to 17 June 2025. Qualitative studies and qualitative components of mixed-methods studies were eligible if they reported extractable findings on family caregivers’ experiences of using mHealth or related digital health support for dementia care. Study quality was appraised with the JBI Critical Appraisal Checklist for Qualitative Research. Findings were synthesized using JBI meta-aggregation, and confidence in the synthesized findings was assessed with the CERQual approach. Twenty-four studies were included. Fifty-five findings were aggregated into eight categories and three synthesized findings: caregivers perceived mHealth and related digital health support as convenient, informative, and emotionally supportive (CERQual: moderate to high); caregivers reported device-related, technical, and contextual barriers that limited use (CERQual: moderate to high); and caregivers expressed needs for integrated functions, personalized content, professional support, and stage-specific care guidance (CERQual: high). Confidence was mainly limited by incomplete researcher reflexivity reporting, heterogeneity of digital support formats, contextual differences across countries, and incomplete reporting of caregiver type or dementia stage in some studies. Qualitative evidence suggests that caregivers generally perceive mHealth and related digital health support as useful for information access, emotional reassurance, and care coordination, but sustained use is constrained by usability problems, digital literacy barriers, insufficient personalization, and uneven professional integration. These findings inform caregiver-centered design and implementation requirements; they do not establish clinical effectiveness or superiority over usual care.