Acceptance Factors and Barriers to the Implementation of a Digital Intervention With Older Adults With Dementia or Caregivers: Protocol for an Umbrella Review.

Abstract

Background: The increase in average life expectancy, aging, and the rise in the number of people living with dementia contribute to growing interest from the scientific community. As the disease progresses, people with dementia may need help with most daily activities and need to be supervised by their carer to ensure their safety. With the help of technology, health care provides new means of self-managing health that support active aging, allowing older people and people with dementia to live independently in their homes for a longer period of time. Although some systematic reviews have revealed some of the impacts of using digital interventions in this area, a broad systematic review that examines the overall results of the effect of this intervention type is mandatory.

Objective: The aim of this review is to further investigate and understand the acceptability and barriers to using technology to monitor and manage health conditions of people living with dementia and their caregivers.

Methods: A review of systematic reviews on acceptability factors and barriers for people with dementia and caregivers was carried out. Interventions that assessed acceptability factors and barriers to the use of technology by people with dementia or their carers were included. Each potentially relevant systematic review was assessed in full text by a member of a team of external experts.

Results: The analysis of the results will be presented in the form of a detailed table of the characteristics of the reviews included. It will also describe the technologies used and factors of acceptability and barriers to their use. The search and preliminary analysis were carried out between May 5, 2023, and August 1, 2024.

Conclusions: This review will play an important role as a comprehensive, evidence-based summary of the barriers and facilitators to the use of digital interventions. This review may help to establish effective policy and clinical guideline recommendations.