scholarly journals Customised Information and Communication Technology for Reducing Social Isolation and Loneliness Among Older Adults: A Scoping Review (Preprint)

10.2196/34221 ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gomathi Thangavel ◽  
Mevludin Memedi ◽  
Karin Hedström
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Social Isolation ◽  
Information And Communication Technology ◽  
Communication Technology ◽  
Scoping Review ◽  
Information And Communication

scholarly journals The Role of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) for Older Adults’ Decision-Making Related to Health, and Health and Social Care Services in Daily Life—A Scoping Review

2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 151
Author(s):  
Susanna Nordin ◽  
Jodi Sturge ◽  
Maria Ayoub ◽  
Allyson Jones ◽  
Kevin McKee ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Decision Making ◽  
Information And Communication Technology ◽  
Communication Technology ◽  
Scoping Review ◽  
Social Care ◽  
Care Services ◽  
Health And Social Care ◽  
Information And Communication

Information and communication technology (ICT) can potentially support older adults in making decisions and increase their involvement in decision-making processes. Although the range of technical products has expanded in various areas of society, knowledge is lacking on the influence that ICT has on older adults’ decision-making in everyday situations. Based on the literature, we aimed to provide an overview of the role of ICT in home-dwelling older adults’ decision-making in relation to health, and health and social care services. A scoping review of articles published between 2010 and 2020 was undertaken by searching five electronic databases. Finally, 12 articles using qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-method designs were included. The articles were published in journals representing biology and medicine, nursing, informatics, and computer science. A majority of the articles were published in the last five years, and most articles came from European countries. The results are presented in three categories: (i) form and function of ICT for decision-making, (ii) perceived value and effect of ICT for decision-making, and (iii) factors influencing ICT use for decision-making. According to our findings, ICT for decision-making in relation to health, and health and social care services was more implicitly described than explicitly described, and we conclude that more research on this topic is needed. Future research should engage older adults and health professionals in developing technology based on their needs. Further, factors that influence older adults’ use of ICT should be evaluated to ensure that it is successfully integrated into their daily lives.

scholarly journals Older Adults’ Loneliness, Social Isolation, and Physical Information and Communication Technology in the Era of Ambient Assisted Living: A Systematic Literature Review (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rita Latikka ◽  
Rosana Rubio-Hernández ◽  
Elena Simona Lohan ◽  
Juho Rantala ◽  
Fernando Nieto Fernández ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Literature Review ◽  
Social Isolation ◽  
Information And Communication Technology ◽  
Communication Technology ◽  
Systematic Literature Review ◽  
Assisted Living ◽  
Ambient Assisted Living ◽  
Smart Homes ◽  
Information And Communication

BACKGROUND Loneliness and social isolation can have severe effects on human health and well-being. Partial solutions to combat these circumstances in demographically aging societies have been sought from the field of information and communication technology (ICT). OBJECTIVE This systematic literature review investigates the research conducted on older adults’ loneliness and social isolation, and physical ICTs, namely robots, wearables, and smart homes, in the era of ambient assisted living (AAL). The aim is to gain insight into how technology can help overcome loneliness and social isolation other than by fostering social communication with people and what the main open-ended challenges according to the reviewed studies are. METHODS The data were collected from 7 bibliographic databases. A preliminary search resulted in 1271 entries that were screened based on predefined inclusion criteria. The characteristics of the selected studies were coded, and the results were summarized to answer our research questions. RESULTS The final data set consisted of 23 empirical studies. We found out that ICT solutions such as smart homes can help detect and predict loneliness and social isolation, and technologies such as robotic pets and some other social robots can help alleviate loneliness to some extent. The main open-ended challenges across studies relate to the need for more robust study samples and study designs. Further, the reviewed studies report technology- and topic-specific open-ended challenges. CONCLUSIONS Technology can help assess older adults’ loneliness and social isolation, and alleviate loneliness without direct interaction with other people. The results are highly relevant in the COVID-19 era, where various social restrictions have been introduced all over the world, and the amount of research literature in this regard has increased recently.

Barriers to, and enablers of, use of information and communication technology (ICT) for supporting the care of chronic diseases of ageing: a systematic scoping review (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sojib Bin Zaman ◽  
Raihan Kabir Khan ◽  
Roger G. Evans ◽  
Amanda G. Thrift ◽  
Ralph Maddison ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Chronic Diseases ◽  
Information And Communication Technology ◽  
Communication Technology ◽  
Scoping Review ◽  
Chronic Conditions ◽  
Healthcare Providers ◽  
Health Technologies ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Information And Communication

BACKGROUND Information and communication technology (ICT) offer considerable potential for supporting older adults to manage their health, including chronic health conditions. However, there are mixed opinions about the benefits and effectiveness of using ICT in healthcare for older adults. OBJECTIVE We aimed to (i) map the use of ICT for the management of chronic diseases in older adults, and (ii) identify barriers to, and challenges for, its use among older adults. METHODS A scoping review was conducted using four databases (Ovid Medline, Embase, Scopus, and PsycInfo) to identify eligible articles from January 2000 to July 2020. Publications incorporating the use of ICT (e-health, mHealth, telehealth, decision support systems, remote monitoring, and mobile apps) in people aged >55 years with chronic conditions were included. We conducted a ‘strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT)’ framework analysis to explore implied enablers of, and barriers to, using ICT in healthcare. RESULTS Of the 286 articles identified, 23 articles (n=4122 participants) met the inclusion criteria. A range of technologies were reported, including: electronic Health (n=5), mobile Health (n=6), telehealth (n=6); mobile applications (n=2), or mixed ICT platforms (n=4). The range of chronic conditions included congestive heart failure (n=9), diabetes (n=7), chronic respiratory disease (n=6), and mental health (n=5). ICT initiatives were all designed to help people self-manage chronic diseases with minimal support from healthcare providers or clinics. Among all the included studies, ICT demonstrated positive effects. Investigators highlighted operational and implementation challenges for integrating health ICT systems in routine practices. Barriers to using ICT in older adults included knowledge gap, lack of willingness to adopt new skills, and reluctance to use health technologies. ICT implementation-related challenges such as slow internet connectivity and lack of the appropriate reimbursement policy were reported. We also identified a list of enablers for using ICT, which could help design mitigation strategies. CONCLUSIONS ICT has the potential to support the care of chronic diseases among older adults, but its integration with routine healthcare is lacking. There is a need to improve awareness and education about ICT among those who could benefit from such initiatives, including older adults, caregivers, and healthcare providers. For promoting ICT adoption, more sustainable funding is required. We recommend involving clinicians and caregivers at the time of designing ICT initiatives. CLINICALTRIAL Not applicable

Customised Information and Communication Technology for Reducing Social Isolation and Loneliness Among Older Adults: A Systematic Review (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gomathi Thangavel ◽  
Mevludin Memedi ◽  
Karin Hedström
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Social Isolation ◽  
Information And Communication Technology ◽  
Communication Technology ◽  
Social Participation ◽  
Social Communication ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Future Studies ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Information And Communication

BACKGROUND The advancements in sciences and various technologies have resulted in people having access to better healthcare, a good quality of life and better economic situations enabling humans to live longer than ever before. Research shows that problems of loneliness and social isolation are common among older adults affecting psychological and physical health. Information and communication technology (ICT) plays an important role in alleviating social isolation and loneliness OBJECTIVE Thus, the aim of this review is to explore ICT solutions and the purposes of those ICT solutions for reducing social isolation or loneliness among older adults. This study particularly focuses on customised ICT solutions that are either designed from scratch or modifications of existing off-the-shelf products catering for the needs of older adults METHODS A systematic literature review was conducted. A search across seven databases including Science Direct, Association for Computing Machinery, PubMed, IEEE Xplore, PsychINFO, Scopus and Web of Science was performed targeting ICT solutions for reducing and managing social isolation and loneliness among older adults. Articles published in English from 2010 to 2020 were extracted and analysed RESULTS From the review of 39 articles, we identified five different purposes of customised ICT solutions, focusing on reducing social isolation and/or loneliness. These are ‘social communication’, ‘social participation’, a ‘sense of belonging', ‘companionship’ and ‘feelings of being seen’. The mapping of purposes of ICT solutions with problems found among older adults indicates that increasing social communication and social participation can help to reduce social isolation problems, whereas fulfilling emotional relationships and feeling valued can reduce feelings of loneliness. In terms of customised ICT solution types, we found seven different categories: ‘social network’, ‘messaging services’, ‘video chat’, ‘virtual spaces or classrooms with messaging capabilities’, ‘robotics’, ‘games’ and ‘content creation and management’ CONCLUSIONS This review highlights the importance of discussing and managing social isolation and loneliness as different but related concepts and emphasises the need for future research to design suitable outcome measures for evaluating ICT solutions based on their solution purposes. Even though, a wide range of customised ICT solutions have been developed, future studies need to explore the recent emerging technologies like the Internet of Things and augmented or virtual reality etc., to tackle social isolation and loneliness among older people. Also, future studies should consider evaluating the appropriate outcome of social isolation or loneliness while developing customised ICT solutions to provide more robust data on the effectiveness of the solutions

scholarly journals Older Adults’ Loneliness, Social Isolation, and Physical Information and Communication Technology in the Era of Ambient Assisted Living: A Systematic Literature Review

10.2196/28022 ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 23 (12) ◽  
pp. e28022
Author(s):  
Rita Latikka ◽  
Rosana Rubio-Hernández ◽  
Elena Simona Lohan ◽  
Juho Rantala ◽  
Fernando Nieto Fernández ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Literature Review ◽  
Social Isolation ◽  
Information And Communication Technology ◽  
Communication Technology ◽  
Systematic Literature Review ◽  
Assisted Living ◽  
Ambient Assisted Living ◽  
Smart Homes ◽  
Information And Communication

Background Loneliness and social isolation can have severe effects on human health and well-being. Partial solutions to combat these circumstances in demographically aging societies have been sought from the field of information and communication technology (ICT). Objective This systematic literature review investigates the research conducted on older adults’ loneliness and social isolation, and physical ICTs, namely robots, wearables, and smart homes, in the era of ambient assisted living (AAL). The aim is to gain insight into how technology can help overcome loneliness and social isolation other than by fostering social communication with people and what the main open-ended challenges according to the reviewed studies are. Methods The data were collected from 7 bibliographic databases. A preliminary search resulted in 1271 entries that were screened based on predefined inclusion criteria. The characteristics of the selected studies were coded, and the results were summarized to answer our research questions. Results The final data set consisted of 23 empirical studies. We found out that ICT solutions such as smart homes can help detect and predict loneliness and social isolation, and technologies such as robotic pets and some other social robots can help alleviate loneliness to some extent. The main open-ended challenges across studies relate to the need for more robust study samples and study designs. Further, the reviewed studies report technology- and topic-specific open-ended challenges. Conclusions Technology can help assess older adults’ loneliness and social isolation, and alleviate loneliness without direct interaction with other people. The results are highly relevant in the COVID-19 era, where various social restrictions have been introduced all over the world, and the amount of research literature in this regard has increased recently.

scholarly journals Challenges and Recommendations for the Deployment of Information and Communication Technology Solutions for Informal Caregivers: Scoping Review

JMIR Aging ◽  
10.2196/20310 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. e20310
Author(s):  
Alhassan Yosri Ibrahim Hassan
Keyword(s):  
Information And Communication Technology ◽  
Communication Technology ◽  
Scoping Review ◽  
Health Care Professionals ◽  
Iterative Process ◽  
Care Delivery ◽  
Informal Caregivers ◽  
Added Value ◽  
Ethical Challenges ◽  
Information And Communication

Background Information and communication technology (ICT)–based solutions have the potential to support informal caregivers in home care delivery. However, there are many challenges to the deployment of these solutions. Objective The aim of this study was to review literature to explore the challenges of the deployment of ICT-based support solutions for informal caregivers and provide relevant recommendations on how to overcome these challenges. Methods A scoping review methodology was used following the Arksey and O’Malley methodological framework to map the relevant literature. A search was conducted using PubMed, IEEE library, and Scopus. Publication screening and scrutiny were conducted following inclusion criteria based on inductive thematic analysis to gain insight into patterns of challenges rising from deploying ICT-based support solutions for informal caregivers. The analysis took place through an iterative process of combining, categorizing, summarizing, and comparing information across studies. Through this iterative process, relevant information was identified and coded under emergent broader themes as they pertain to each of the research questions. Results The analysis identified 18 common challenges using a coding scheme grouping them under four thematic categories: technology-related, organizational, socioeconomic, and ethical challenges. These range from specific challenges related to the technological component of the ICT-based service such as design and usability of technology, to organizational challenges such as fragmentation of support solutions to socioeconomic challenges such as funding of technology and sustainability of solutions to ethical challenges around autonomy and privacy of data. For each identified challenge, recommendations were created on how to overcome it. The recommendations from this study can provide guidance for the deployment of ICT-based support solutions for informal caregivers. Conclusions Despite a growing interest in the potential offered by ICT solutions for informal caregiving, diverse and overlapping challenges to their deployment still remain. Designers for ICTs for informal caregivers should follow participatory design and involve older informal caregivers in the design process as much as possible. A collaboration between designers and academic researchers is also needed to ensure ICT solutions are designed with the current empirical evidence in mind. Taking actions to build the digital skills of informal caregivers early in the caregiving process is crucial for optimal use of available ICT solutions. Moreover, the lack of awareness of the potential added-value and trust toward ICT-based support solutions requires strategies to raise awareness among all stakeholders—including policy makers, health care professionals, informal caregivers, and care recipients—about support opportunities offered by ICT. On the macro-level, policies to fund ICT solutions that have been shown to be effective at supporting and improving informal caregiver health outcomes via subsidies or other incentives should be considered.

scholarly journals Information and communication technology-based interventions for suicide prevention implemented in clinical settings: A scoping review protocol

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hwayeon Danielle Shin ◽  
Juveria Zaheer ◽  
Terri Rodak ◽  
John Torous ◽  
Gillian Strudwick
Keyword(s):  
Information And Communication Technology ◽  
Suicide Prevention ◽  
Communication Technology ◽  
Scoping Review ◽  
Implementation Strategies ◽  
Mobile App ◽  
Barriers And Facilitators ◽  
Clinical Settings ◽  
Scoping Reviews ◽  
Information And Communication

IntroductionThere is a surplus of Information and Communication Technology (ICT)-based interventions for suicide prevention. However, it is unclear which of these ICT-based interventions for suicide prevention have been implemented in clinical settings. Furthermore, evidence shows that implementation strategies have often been mismatched to existing barriers. In response, the authors recognize the critical need for prospectively assessing the barriers and facilitators and then strategically developing implementation strategies. This review is part of a multi-phase project to develop and test tailored implementation strategies for mobile app-based suicide prevention in clinical settings. The overall objective of this scoping review is to identify and characterize ICT-based interventions for all levels of suicide prevention in clinical settings. Additionally, this review will identify and characterize the barriers and facilitators to implementing these ICT-based interventions as well as reported measures and outcomes. The findings will directly inform the subsequent phase to maximize implementation and inform future efforts for implementing other types of ICT-based interventions related to suicide prevention in clinical settings.Methods and analysis This review will adhere to the methods described by the Joanna Briggs Institute for conducting scoping reviews. The reporting will follow the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis extension for scoping reviews checklist. The following databases will be searched: Medline, PsycInfo, Embase, CINAHL, Web of Science, and LISTA. Two reviewers will independently screen the articles and extract data using a standardised data collection tool. Then, authors will characterize extracted data using frameworks, typology, and taxonomies to address the proposed review questions. Ethics and disseminationEthics approval is not required for this scoping review. Authors will share the results in a peer-reviewed, open access publication, and conference presentations. Furthermore, the findings will be shared with relevant health organizations through lay language summaries and informal presentations.

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