An empowerment‐based cognitive behavioural therapy for persons with mild cognitive impairment and insomnia: Protocol for a mixed‐method pilot study

Abstract

Aim This study aims to examine the feasibility and effects of an empowerment-based cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia on sleep, cognitive outcomes, and health-related quality of life in persons with mild cognitive impairment and insomnia.

Study design This mixed-methods study comprises a pilot randomized controlled trial and an exploratory qualitative study.

Methods A total of 60 community-dwelling patients aged ≥50 years with mild cognitive impairment and self-reported sleep complaints will be recruited from the community centres for older people operated by two non-governmental organizations in Hong Kong. The participants will be randomly allocated to intervention or control groups, which will receive the empowerment-based cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia and usual care respectively. We hypothesize that the cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia intervention featuring an empowerment-based approach can improve sleep and cognitive function among patients with mild cognitive impairment. A subsample of 10 participants from the intervention group will be invited to take part in a qualitative interview to obtain more in-depth comments about the feasibility and acceptability of the intervention. Ethical approval was obtained on 2 November 2020. This study is supported by the Seed Fund for Basic Research from the University of Hong Kong on 4 September 2020.

Discussion This study will address a neglected risk factor for cognitive decline in persons with mild cognitive impairment. The theoretical integration of empowerment and cognitive model of behavioural changes may inform a wider and more successful application of cognitive behavioural therapy techniques for people with compromised cognitive ability and insomnia.

Impact This study will also advance our knowledge on the role of sleep on persons with mild cognitive impairment and generate relevant empirical evidence to inform the care of this vulnerable cohort to affect a worldwide reduction in social, economic and healthcare burdens associated with cognitive impairment.

Clinical Trial Registration This study has been registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT04635085).