As the population ages, the number of older adults affected by dementia, most commonly being Alzheimer disease, is expected to triple by 2050 [1]. Age is a significant risk factor for dementia [1]. According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition, Text Revision (DSM-5-TR), dementia, a major neurocognitive disorder, refers to a significant decline over time in one or more cognitive domains (“executive function, complex attention, memory, language, learning perceptual-motor, social cognition”) [2]. The degree of dementia severity is determined by its impact on the ability of persons living with dementia to independently carry out activities of daily living [2,3]. In Canada, more than 60% of persons living with dementia reside in their own homes, and over 25% rely heavily on their care partners (ie, family members or friends) for assistance with daily activities such as personal hygiene, eating, and walking [4]. However, care partners face challenges in supporting persons living with dementia due to competing demands (eg, children and jobs), resulting in around two-thirds of care partners experiencing stress and depressive symptoms [5]. To effectively manage dementia at home and cope with symptoms, persons living with dementia and their care partners need diverse strategies and interventions beyond medication alone [1,6-8]. With an aging population, the risks of developing dementia pose a major public health concern. As such, there is heightened interest and urgency for strategies and interventions to maintain health and social support for persons living with dementia and their care partners. Assistive technology (AT) is a key dementia management strategy [9], enabling persons living with dementia to live at home longer [4,10] and contributing to maintained health and social services in home and community settings [11].

AT is the umbrella term for the combination of assistive products and the services needed to ensure safe assessment, distribution, and use of assistive products [12,13]. As defined by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), assistive products (ie, devices, software, equipment, or instruments) maintain or improve a person’s functionality and reduce disability [14]. The services associated with AT refer to the “human factors” necessary to fit the product to the person, environment, and task, and include the application of organized knowledge and skills to the provision, use, and assessment of assistive products [12,15,16]. AT is most effective when provided with “early intervention, careful assessment, the correct prescription, and home-based follow-up training in how to use AT” [17]. AT is closely associated with environmental interventions (eg, home modifications), forming a technology chain of supports [18]. There has been rapid development of technological supports for older people and people with disabilities, including for those with functional limitations due to dementia [19]. Persons living with dementia and their care partners often require multiple types of AT to meet their needs and maintain their dignity and autonomy. AT includes products such as a wheelchair, medication reminder, appliance monitor, wayfinding device, and mobile app for navigation assistance [17], involving both access to the product and assessment, trial, training, maintenance, and follow-up services [15].

A growing body of research is focused on developing, evaluating, and understanding AT applications for dementia management to promote the well-being of persons living with dementia and alleviate the strain experienced by their care partners [10,11,20-22]. For example, monitoring technologies for persons living with dementia have been found to increase feelings of safety and security, promote their independence, and reduce care partner strain [10,23-27]. Reminder systems have been shown to increase the execution of daily activities such as taking medications, eating and drinking [10,28-31]. AT that target safety in the homes of persons living with dementia have been observed to reduce falls and accidents and decrease care partner strain [32]. Information and communication technologies (eg, mobile devices, apps, and the internet) have been used to support cognitive stimulation and emotional well-being in persons living with dementia and social support and education for care partners [10]. The abundance of diverse and broad-ranging published reviews, compounded by the rapid development of technological supports for older people and people with disabilities [19], presents a challenge for researchers, policy makers, persons living with dementia and their care partners, and health care professionals (eg, therapists) who recommend AT for dementia management, to efficiently navigate and extract valuable insights for policy and personal decision-making regarding AT to support dementia management. Therefore, a scoping review of reviews is warranted to comprehensively, systematically, and feasibly map the scientific literature in this field.

This paper outlines a protocol for a scoping review of reviews that aims to synthesize review-level evidence from published scientific literature on AT to support dementia management for persons living with dementia and their care partners in their own homes and communities. This synthesis will identify research gaps in knowledge and areas for further investigation regarding the use and access of AT by persons living with dementia, their care partners, and health care professionals (eg, therapists) who recommend AT for dementia management. This review will also chart the key outcomes used and conclusions made in review-level evidence.

The protocol design was initially informed by establishing the need for a scoping review of reviews (instead of a scoping review). The information specialists (Maureen Pakosh and EM) from the Department of Library and Information Services at the University Health Network, with the first author (CD), conducted an exploratory literature search on AT to support dementia management. Following this search, CD consulted with the principal investigators (RHW and BC) to clarify and establish the review question, Population-Concept-Context (PCC) framework for eligible studies [42,43], and design of this review. Due to the abundance of diverse and broad-ranging published reviews found in this topic area, a scoping review of reviews was selected to map the scientific literature comprehensively, systematically, and feasibly on AT to support dementia management.

This review will follow the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) methodological framework and guidance for conducting scoping reviews [42] and the PRISMA-ScR (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews) checklist for reporting results [42,43]. This review will use the PRISMA-ScR sections that are consistent with our review of reviews and justification for areas that are not reported will be presented in the final review article. The main elements of this scoping review framework include (1) review question, (2) search strategy, (3) inclusion and exclusion criteria, (4) sources of evidence selection, (5) data charting, and (6) analysis of the evidence and presentation of results. A consultation process with diverse interest-holder groups to validate and disseminate findings will be included in this review. Guidance for the exploratory review question and broad search for relevant studies will come from the PCC framework for eligible studies [42,43]. As the main objective of this review is to describe the state of the scientific literature, a quality assessment will not be conducted [40,42,44-46].

This scoping review protocol is registered with the Open Science Framework (OSF) [47]. When conducting this review, any protocol amendments will be documented in the OSF and final paper. Once this review is complete, the results will be disseminated through publications and conferences on AT, health care policies, and dementia topics.

This scoping review of reviews will be guided by the question, “What AT types and characteristics have been documented in the scientific literature to support dementia management for persons living with dementia and their care partners in their own homes and communities?”

The review question is formulated using the PCC framework for eligible studies [42,43] (Table 2).

The search strategy will include a previous review of relevant literature by the first author (CD), informing the initial list of search terms and strategy. Subject matter experts (AA, AM, BC, HC, and RHW) and 2 information specialists (Maureen Pakosh and EM) will provide additional inputs and revisions. The search strategy, subject headings, and corresponding free-text terms will be informed by the priority assistive products list [13], the ISO 9999 classification and terminology standard for assistive products [14], and My AT Outcomes Framework (MyATOF) [8]. The priority assistive products list was introduced by the WHO as the first stage of implementing a global commitment to improve access to assistive products—the Global Cooperation on Assistive Technology (GATE) [13]. MyATOF is an Australian framework that integrates AT process principles and outcomes research, directing interest-holders in articulating AT usage through 6 dimensions (ie, supports, outcomes, costs, rights, service delivery, and consumer experience) [48].

The search scope will remain broad by using 2 PCC concepts (population and concept) from the PCC framework in Table 2. As this scoping review will not compare AT interventions with other dementia management strategies (eg, medical devices and treatments for dementia) [49], no comparison terms will be incorporated into the search.

The initial iterations of the search included synonyms of AT (eg, self-help devices) and terms related to technology (eg, computers and electronics). However, since AT is a broad concept, additional terms will be generated through review of the above sources and discussion among the research team to ensure comprehensive representation of AT products and functional abilities addressed by AT. In addition to types of products (eg, computers and wheelchairs), terms combining functional activities (eg, eating and drinking) and technology (eg, device, product, and tool) will provide additional sensitivity to the search (Multimedia Appendix 1). Using this strategy limits the need to include all potential products (eg, potato peelers), which would be impractical and unlikely to yield results in the scientific literature.

The search process will be conducted in collaboration with Maureen Pakosh and EM. Maureen Pakosh will develop the initial draft search strategies in 6 electronic databases, including APA PsycINFO (Ovid), CINAHL Ultimate (EBSCOhost), Embase (Ovid), Emcare Nursing (Ovid), Medline ALL (Ovid), and Web of Science Core Collection. Decisions regarding the search terms and the search process will be resolved over multiple iterations of the search strategy through discussion among the research team (AA, AM, AMB, BC, CD, ED, EM, HC, JN, NL, and RHW).

Following additional consultation with diverse interest-holder groups (refer to Consultation Process under the Methods section), EM will revise the initial MEDLINE search strategy, as necessary. The MEDLINE search strategy will be peer-reviewed by a third rehabilitation information specialist (Jessica Babineau) following PRESS (Peer Review of Electronic Search Strategies) guidelines [50]. A study design filter will be included to limit the results to reviews. No date or language restrictions will be imposed on the search; however, non-English results will be excluded during the title, abstract, and full-text screening stages.

Based on the MEDLINE search strategy, EM will conduct corresponding searches in the 6 electronic databases above. The search will include articles from database inception to July 2023. Bibliographic duplicates will be removed by EM using EndNote 20 (Clarivate) [51] and an adapted Bramer method [52,53]. Deduplicated results will be uploaded into Covidence (Veritas Health Innovation Ltd), a software platform designed for screening and data extraction [54], by CD.

The screening process will be guided by the PCC inclusion and exclusion criteria (Textbox 1).

Articles of any type of review methodology (eg, scoping review, systematic review, and narrative review) published in peer-reviewed journals will be included. Therefore, researchers with expertise in both quantitative and qualitative methodologies will contribute to the development of the narrative. Non–peer-reviewed articles, protocols, theses or dissertations, editorials, conference abstracts, gray literature, and non-English articles will be excluded.

Once the articles are fully reviewed, the data will be extracted, charted, and integrated into a comprehensive format (ie, table). The data charting template will be used to capture relevant data from included articles to meet the objectives of this scoping review. An example of the data to be extracted is described in Table 3.

The JBI-recommended procedure for pilot testing will be used for data extraction [42]. A total of 3 reviewers (CD, ED, and JN) will independently conduct a pilot test to extract data from at least 3 full-text articles. The pilot test findings will be refined and adjusted through team discussions. The pilot test will continue until reviewers adequately understand the data charting template, context, and process of data extraction.

Following the completion of the pilot test, reviewers will proceed to extract data from all full-text articles using the data charting template. If specific information is unavailable, reviewers may contact the study authors to obtain it. As the review progresses, the reviewers may extract additional information of relevance to address the scoping review objectives and revise the data charting template accordingly [42]. In conducting this scoping review, the focus is on synthesizing and analyzing existing reviews. Therefore, the scope of this review will not include an in-depth analysis of individual primary studies.

After extracting the data from included full-text articles, the data will be synthesized using descriptive analysis (eg, frequencies, means, and ranges). A descriptive numerical summary and overview of the findings will be presented in tabular format.

The Project Advisory Committee (PAC), comprising persons living with dementia, care partners, researchers, partner and network organization representatives, and knowledge user partners who have a direct interest in the outcomes of this research [62], will be consulted for their inputs. They will also provide resources to complete this scoping review and assist in knowledge dissemination strategies and activities. The PAC convenes every 4 to 6 months. PAC members will also be consulted individually on matters where there is expertise in content, methodology, analyses, and knowledge mobilization and dissemination.

This review does not involve collecting any data from human or animal participants; therefore, research ethics approval is unnecessary.

This review will provide a comprehensive understanding and documentation of the published scientific literature on AT to support dementia management. Findings from this review are expected to provide evidence-based insights to diverse groups of interest-holders to facilitate discussions on the complexities of current AT types, uses, availability, and access for persons living with dementia and their care partners. Furthermore, the author group’s diverse national and international perspectives may contribute to knowledge exchange and influence standards to improve the daily function, safety, and well-being of persons living with dementia.

Findings from this review will also lay the groundwork for a larger Canadian Institute of Health Research (CIHR)–funded project to examine the creation and economic evaluation of combining different AT into effective bundles or packages [15,63-67] for dementia management in Canada and beyond. This work aligns with national initiatives such as the Canadian Dementia Strategy [68] and global recommendations by the WHO regarding the formulation of a comprehensive “Package of Interventions for Rehabilitation” for health conditions, including dementia [69].

The field of AT for dementia management continues to grow [10,11,19-22], with an abundance of diverse and broad-ranging published reviews focused on developing, evaluating, and understanding AT applications. Despite its considerable impact on the field, there are still challenges to efficiently navigate and extract valuable insights regarding AT for policy and personal decision-making. This scoping review of reviews is therefore warranted to map the scientific literature in this area comprehensively, systematically, and feasibly.

This scoping review may have limitations. First, this review does not incorporate searches of gray literature and other non–peer-reviewed academic resources. As the development of AT is rapidly progressing, these advancements may not be documented in the existing scientific literature. In addition, only review articles will be considered for inclusion, and if there are AT interventions reported exclusively in primary reports, they may not be captured in this review. An independent environmental scan will be conducted by members of the research team (CD, BC, JN, and RHW) as a separate review, encompassing various documents and resources not typically accessible through scientific databases. These documents and resources may include organizational websites, policy documents, reports, magazine articles, newsletters, and blogs. Second, the search strategy may miss relevant reviews due to the selected databases lacking coverage of all published literature, inaccuracies in database indexing, and the broad scope of AT and complexity and limitations of terms used [70]. This limitation is addressed by searching multiple bibliographic databases and using a comprehensive set of search terms covering both products and relevant functional abilities. In addition, to mitigate these risks, a hand-search of the reference lists of relevant articles will be considered to identify any further citations that may have been overlooked during the initial electronic database search. However, the reviews may exclude other languages as well. It is also possible that the search strategy may limit the types of AT that appear in the results because the search terms are based on established terminology and categories of AT. Finally, only studies written in English will be included, which may exclude relevant reviews from non–English-speaking countries or regions, limiting our findings’ generalizability and applicability.

Although limitations may exist, this scoping review will enable a comprehensive understanding and documentation of the types and characteristics of AT to support dementia management for persons living with dementia and their care partners in their own homes and communities.

The knowledge synthesized from this review may broadly serve as a framework to create greater insights into dementia management using AT [61] among persons living with dementia; their care partners; and various other interest-holders groups, such as health care professionals (eg, therapists) who recommend AT to persons living with dementia and their care partners, policy makers, researchers, partner organizations, and networks. It is also anticipated that the research community may benefit from the generated knowledge from this review to formulate new research inquiries and approaches for larger-scale studies on AT use and access by persons living with dementia and their care partners for dementia management.