Coadaptation Between Smart Technologies and Older Adults Over Time: Protocol for a Scoping Review

Kristina Marie Kokorelias; Alisa Grigorovich; Maurita T Harris; Umair Rehman; Louise Ritchie; AnneMarie Levy; Kerstin Denecke; Josephine McMurray

doi:10.2196/51129

Coadaptation Between Smart Technologies and Older Adults Over Time: Protocol for a Scoping Review

JMIR Res Protoc. 2023 Oct 9:12:e51129. doi: 10.2196/51129.

Authors

Kristina Marie Kokorelias^{1

2

3

4

5}, Alisa Grigorovich^{5

6}, Maurita T Harris⁷, Umair Rehman⁸, Louise Ritchie⁹, AnneMarie Levy¹⁰, Kerstin Denecke¹¹, Josephine McMurray¹⁰

Affiliations

¹ Division of Geriatric Medicine, Department of Medicine, Sinai Health System and University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada.
² Department of Occupational Science & Occupational Therapy, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
³ National Institute on Ageing, Toronto Metropolitan University, Toronto, ON, Canada.
⁴ Toronto Rehabilitation Sciences Institute, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
⁵ KITE Research Institute, Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada.
⁶ Recreation and Leisure Studies, Brock University, St. Catharines, ON, Canada.
⁷ User Experience Design, Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, ON, Canada.
⁸ Department of Computer Science, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada.
⁹ Alzheimer Scotland Centre for Policy and Practice, University of West Scotland, Scotland, United Kingdom.
¹⁰ Lazaridis School of Business & Economics/Community Health, Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, ON, Canada.
¹¹ Institute for Medical Informatics, Bern University of Applied Sciences, Bern, Switzerland.

PMID: 37812466
PMCID: PMC10594133
DOI: 10.2196/51129

Abstract

Background: The Internet of Things (IoT) has gained significant attention due to advancements in technology and has potential applications in meeting the needs of an aging population. Smart technologies, a subset of IoT, can support older adults in aging in place, promoting independent living and improving their quality of life. However, there is a lack of research on how older adults and smart technologies coadapt over time to maximize their benefits and sustain adoption.

Objective: We will aim to comprehensively review and analyze the existing scientific literature pertaining to the coadaptation between smart technologies and older adults. The primary focus will be to investigate the extent and nature of this coadaptation process and explore how older adults and technology coevolve over time to enhance older adults' experience with technology.

Methods: This scoping review will follow the methodology outlined in the Joanna Briggs Institute Reviewer's Manual and adhere to the PRISMA-ScR (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis Extension for Scoping Reviews) guidelines for reporting. Peer-reviewed articles will be searched in databases like Ovid MEDLINE, OVID Embase, PEDro, OVID PsycINFO, EBSCO CINAHL, the Cochrane Library, Scopus, IEEE Xplore, Web of Science, and Global Index Medicus. The research team will create a data extraction form covering study characteristics, participant characteristics, underlying models and frameworks, research findings, implications for technology coadaptation, and any identified study limitations. A directed content analysis approach will be used, incorporating the Selection, Optimization, and Compensation framework and Sex- and Gender-Based Analysis Plus theoretical framework.

Results: The results of this study are expected in January 2024.

Conclusions: This scoping review endeavors to present a thorough overview of the available evidence concerning how smart technologies interact with older adults over an extended period. The insights gained from this review will lay the groundwork for a research program that explores how older adults adapt to and use smart technologies throughout their lives, ultimately leading to improved user satisfaction and experience and facilitating aging in place with tailored support and user-centered design principles.

International registered report identifier (irrid): PRR1-10.2196/51129.

Keywords: IoT; PRISMA-ScR; ageing; aging; coadaptation; elder; elderly; geriatric; geriatrics; gerontechnology; internet of things; knowledge synthesis; older adult; older adults; protocol; review methodology; review methods; scoping; scoping literature review; scoping review; smart; smart technologies; smart technology; technology; user-centered design.

©Kristina Marie Kokorelias, Alisa Grigorovich, Maurita T Harris, Umair Rehman, Louise Ritchie, AnneMarie Levy, Kerstin Denecke, Josephine McMurray. Originally published in JMIR Research Protocols (https://www.researchprotocols.org), 09.10.2023.