AUTHOR=Chen Yen-Jen , Jhang Kai-Ming , Wang Wen-Fu , Lin Guan-Cheng , Yen Shao-Wei , Wu Hsin-Hung 

TITLE=Applying Apriori algorithm to explore long-term care services usage status—Variables based on the combination of patients with dementia and their caregivers

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Psychology

VOLUME=Volume 13 - 2022

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1022860

DOI=10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1022860

ISSN=1664-1078

ABSTRACT=Purpose: The aim of this study was to identify the combination of patients with dementia and their caregivers’ characteristics associated with long-term care (LTC) services usage.
Patients and methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 475 patients with mild, moderate, and severe dementia at Changhua Christian Hospital, Taiwan. Eleven types of variables from the patients, 9 types of variables from caregivers, and 15 types of LTC services were used. The Apriori algorithm was employed to identify the attributes from the patients and their caregivers who used a particular LTC service from a comprehensive viewpoint.
Results: A total of 75 rules were generated by the Apriori algorithm with support of 2%, confidence of 80%, and lift > 1. Among these rules, 25 belonged to home personal care services which were further summarized into 4 general rules for home personal care services. On the other hand, 50 rules were assistive devices which were further classified into 21 general rules based on their similarities. Patients’ walking ability, patients’ emotional liability, unemployed or retired caregivers, caregivers’ feelings with either helplessness or hopelessness, and caregivers who cared for patients with dementia solely were found to be the critical variables to the usage of home personal care services. In contrast, patients’ walking ability, age, and severity as well as caregivers’ age, mood, marital status, caregiving burden, and the patient being cared mainly by a foreign care helper were the critical variables to use assistive devices.
Conclusion: This study had preliminary results regarding the LTC service usage from patients with dementia and their caregivers residing in the community. Understanding the patient-caregiver dyads’ profile may lead the service providers, policy-makers, and the referral team to better tailor service provisions to meet the needs and identify the potential target groups. The findings in this study could be served as references to reduce caregivers’ burden as well as to improve care quality for patients with dementia.