Assistive technology designed to support self-management of people with dementia: User involvement, dissemination, and adoption. A scoping review

Abstract

Background: Assistive technology is advocated as a key solution to the need for support among people living with dementia. There is growing awareness of the benefits of user involvement in the design and test of these technologies and the need to identifying applicable and effective methods for implementation. The aim of this review was to explore and synthesize research addressing assistive technology designed to be used by people with dementia for self-management. Further research aims were to explore if and how user involvement, dissemination, and adoption of assistive technology were addressed.Method: Electronic databases were searched using specified search terms. Key publications and grey literature sources were hand-searched. Materials published until year end 2018 were included. The results were summarized according to the research aims.Results: Eleven papers derived from eight studies were included. The studies presented data from prototype design and testing, and the review showed great variation in study scope, design, and methodology. User involvement varied from extensive involvement to no user involvement. Methods for adoption also varied widely and only targeted prototype testing. None of the studies addressed dissemination.Conclusion: The results of this review underline the need for well-designed high-quality research into all the aspects that are essential to deliver applicable, effective, and sustainable assistive technology to support self-management of people with dementia. There is a need for evidence-based methods to promote and qualify user involvement, dissemination, and adoption. The results also point to the need for standardized outcome measures and standards for conducting and reporting research to improve its quality and impact.