Impact of digital assistive technologies on the quality of life for people with dementia: protocol for a scoping review

Abstract

IntroductionDigital assistive technologies (eg, applications, wearables and robots) have emerged as promising tools for managing various aspects of daily life, such as basic assistance, encompassing social interaction, memory support, leisure activities, location tracking and health monitoring. In order to understand how these technologies can be utilised for people living with dementia, their impacts must first be reviewed. Currently, there is limited literature available on the topic, usually only focusing on a particular kind of digital assistive technology. Therefore, this paper presents a protocol for a scoping review that aims to provide a general overview of the impact digital assistive technologies can have on the quality of life for people living with dementia.Methods and analysisWe will follow the scoping review framework proposed by Arksey and O'Malley. A comprehensive search will be performed to identify original research articles or clinical trials published between 2013 and 2023 across five online databases (Cochrane, Embase, PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science). The review will encompass both qualitative and quantitative themes derived from the literature. Relevant studies will be identified through a comprehensive search using specific search terms related to the population (people with dementia), intervention (digital assistive technologies) and outcome (quality of life). The screening of titles, abstracts and full texts will be performed to select eligible studies based on predetermined inclusion and exclusion criteria. Data will be extracted using a standardised form, and the findings will be synthesised and reported qualitatively and quantitatively.Ethics and disseminationEthical approval is not required because this study is a scoping review based on published data. We intend to publish our findings in a peer-reviewed journal.