Can Use of Digital Technologies by People with Dementia Improve Self-Management and Social Participation? A Systematic Review of Effect Studies

Neal, David; van den Berg, Floor; Planting, Caroline; Ettema, Teake; Dijkstra, Karin; Finnema, Evelyn; Dröes, Rose-Marie

doi:10.3390/jcm10040604

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Can Use of Digital Technologies by People with Dementia Improve Self-Management and Social Participation? A Systematic Review of Effect Studies

^1,*

⁴,

^5,6,7 and

^1,*

Department of Psychiatry, Amsterdam University Medical Centre, Location VUMC, 1081 HJ Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Department of Linguistics and English as a Second Language, University of Groningen, 9712 EK Groningen, The Netherlands

Department of Research and Innovation, GGZ inGeest, 1070 BB Amsterdam, The Netherlands

⁴

Research Group Nursing, Saxion University of Applied Sciences, 7417 DH Deventer, The Netherlands

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Health Sciences-Nursing Research, University Medical Centre Groningen, 9713 GZ Groningen, The Netherlands

⁶

Department of Healthcare, NHL Stenden University of Applied Sciences, 8917 DD Leeuwarden, The Netherlands

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School of Nursing, Hanze University of Applied Sciences, 9747 AS Groningen, The Netherlands

Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Academic Editor: Manuel A. Franco-Martin

J. Clin. Med. 2021, 10(4), 604; https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm10040604

Received: 17 December 2020 / Revised: 27 January 2021 / Accepted: 29 January 2021 / Published: 5 February 2021

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Psychosocial Approaches Using Technology in Older People with Mild Cognitive Impairment or Dementia)

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Abstract

There is increasing interest in the use of technology to support social health in dementia. The primary objective of this systematic review was to synthesize evidence of effectiveness of digital technologies used by people with dementia to improve self-management and social participation. Records published from 1 January 2007 to 9 April 2020 were identified from Pubmed, PsycInfo, Web of Science, CINAHL, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials. Controlled interventional studies evaluating interventions based on any digital technology were included if: primary users of the technology had dementia or mild cognitive impairment (MCI); and the study reported outcomes relevant to self-management or social participation. Studies were clustered by population, intervention, and outcomes, and narrative synthesis was undertaken. Of 1394 records identified, nine met the inclusion criteria: two were deemed to be of poor methodological quality, six of fair quality, and one of good quality. Three clusters of technologies were identified: virtual reality, wearables, and software applications. We identified weak evidence that digital technologies may provide less benefit to people with dementia than people with MCI. Future research should address the methodological limitations and narrow scope of existing work. In the absence of strong evidence, clinicians and caregivers must use their judgement to appraise available technologies on a case-by-case basis. View Full-Text

Keywords: dementia; mild cognitive impairment; digital technology; social health; social participation; self-management; caregiver support

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Neal, D.; van den Berg, F.; Planting, C.; Ettema, T.; Dijkstra, K.; Finnema, E.; Dröes, R.-M. Can Use of Digital Technologies by People with Dementia Improve Self-Management and Social Participation? A Systematic Review of Effect Studies. J. Clin. Med. 2021, 10, 604. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm10040604

AMA Style

Neal D, van den Berg F, Planting C, Ettema T, Dijkstra K, Finnema E, Dröes R-M. Can Use of Digital Technologies by People with Dementia Improve Self-Management and Social Participation? A Systematic Review of Effect Studies. Journal of Clinical Medicine. 2021; 10(4):604. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm10040604

Chicago/Turabian Style

Neal, David, Floor van den Berg, Caroline Planting, Teake Ettema, Karin Dijkstra, Evelyn Finnema, and Rose-Marie Dröes. 2021. "Can Use of Digital Technologies by People with Dementia Improve Self-Management and Social Participation? A Systematic Review of Effect Studies" Journal of Clinical Medicine 10, no. 4: 604. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm10040604

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Can Use of Digital Technologies by People with Dementia Improve Self-Management and Social Participation? A Systematic Review of Effect Studies

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