Using clinic visit audio recordings to help people with dementia and their caregivers
The Role of Visit Audio Recordings in Triadic Dementia Care
This project uses audio recordings of primary care visits to help people living with dementia and their care partners better remember and act on visit information.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Dartmouth College NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Hanover, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11323022 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If you join, your primary care visits will be audio recorded and researchers will follow 200 patient–care partner–clinician triads for 12 months. The team will redesign a tool called HealthPAL that uses natural language processing to turn recordings into clear, structured notes and playback summaries. Researchers will examine how these recordings affect communication, understanding, and decision-making during and after visits. The aim is to make it easier for you and your caregiver to recall visit details, follow care plans, and get needed referrals.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates are people aged 65 or older living with Alzheimer's disease or related dementia who attend primary care visits with a care partner willing to be recorded.
Not a fit: People without an involved care partner, those who do not attend participating primary care clinics, or anyone who declines visit recordings may not receive benefit from this project.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could make clinic visits easier to understand and remember, improving care decisions and follow-up for people with dementia and their caregivers.
How similar studies have performed: Audio-recording visits has shown promise in other medical settings to improve recall and adherence, but it has not been widely tested in dementia care.
Where this research is happening
Hanover, United States
- Dartmouth College — Hanover, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Barr, Paul James — Dartmouth College
- Study coordinator: Barr, Paul James
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.