Digital technology for supporting Aged Care Services: A Scoping Review

Research Background and Issues

• What problems or challenges did the authors identify?
  This study explores the current state, roles, and impacts of utilizing digital technologies to support elderly care services. Despite the significant potential of digital technologies, their application in elderly care faces challenges such as low digital literacy among older adults, unequal access to technology, and a lack of comprehensive studies on the impacts of technology implementation. Additionally, the future direction of remote care services in the post-COVID-19 era urgently requires investigation.

• Why is this issue important?
  The global trend of population aging makes improving the quality and efficiency of elderly care services critically important. Digital technologies can directly impact health monitoring, medical decision support, and interaction management between older adults and caregivers. However, there is currently a lack of in-depth research on how to effectively implement these technologies and address the barriers involved.

• Research Motivation and Related Work
  Previous studies have primarily focused on specific health issues (e.g., cardiovascular diseases, mental health care) or the application of digital technologies in response to COVID-19. However, these studies have not comprehensively examined the roles and impacts of these technologies within broader elderly care systems. Therefore, this study aims to fill this gap and provide guidance for future research and practice.

Solutions

• What methods or solutions did the authors propose?
  The authors conducted a scoping review, analyzing literature from the past decade on digital technologies supporting elderly care services. Using the PRISMA-ScR method, they summarized seven key roles and twelve major types of technologies from 47 relevant studies.

• What is innovative about this solution?
  The study adopts a systemic perspective, not only summarizing the applications and roles of digital technologies but also providing clear design considerations (e.g., user engagement and technology accessibility) and specific recommendations for future research. This broad perspective offers valuable insights for technology development and policy-making in the field of elderly care.

• What are the implementation steps and key technologies used?

  • The study followed the PRISMA-ScR guidelines in five stages:
    1. Formulating research questions.
    2. Searching relevant literature through five databases (e.g., Scopus, PubMed, Web of Science).
    3. Establishing inclusion and exclusion criteria to screen studies.
    4. Assessing article quality to avoid bias.
    5. Synthesizing and analyzing data.
  • The analysis focused on seven key roles of technology, including health monitoring and assessment, telemedicine services, assistive therapeutic technologies, self-management systems, technologies promoting social interaction, clinical decision support systems, and elderly care quality measurement systems.
  • Technologies used include telemedicine systems, digital biomarkers, mHealth applications, social robots, intelligent systems, and analytical software.

Research Outcomes

• What specific outcomes were achieved?

  • The study identified seven key roles of digital technologies in elderly care, spanning health monitoring, remote services, and care quality evaluation.
  • Twelve mainstream technology types were recognized, with analyses of their usage scenarios and limitations.
  • Six recommendations for future research were provided, such as improving older adults' interaction experiences with digital technologies, addressing the digital divide, enhancing collaboration in elderly care systems, and adapting remote care technologies in the post-pandemic era.

• What advantages does it have compared to existing solutions?
  This study systematically covers the application of digital technologies in elderly care across multidisciplinary contexts, with a particular focus on the specific needs of older adults (e.g., low digital literacy). Compared to other more limited studies, it offers a more comprehensive perspective and practical recommendations.

• What were the experimental or evaluation results?

  • The study used the CCAT evaluation tool to assess the quality of 47 articles, ensuring methodological reliability.
  • Themes, roles, and technology types were extracted and analyzed from all articles, with data frequencies supporting the validity of the conclusions.

• Limitations and Future Directions

  • The study may have missed relevant research due to database selection constraints.
  • The broad scope of results limits in-depth comparisons of the impacts and implementations of specific technologies.
  • Further research is recommended for specific areas, such as health monitoring technologies in inpatient care.
  • Six major future research directions include improving user experience, enhancing clinical decision support, addressing the digital divide, and exploring the adaptability of remote care in the post-pandemic era.

Through this study, the authors not only systematically summarized the current state of digital technologies in elderly care services but also provided significant academic and practical references for future development.