Technology Use and Frailty for Community Dwelling Older Adults:
A Scoping Review
Background: Frailty is a common geriatric syndrome defined as a state of increased vulnerability to acute stressors related to a decline in reserve. There is abundant literature on frailty interventions, however, the literature on technology as an intervention for frailty is scarce. Objectives: The purpose of this scoping review is to identify and summarize existing evidence on technology use as an intervention for frail older adults and to identify research gaps in the evidence base in order to inform future research. Methodology: This review utilized the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines and a rigorous scoping review method to search the literature. A comprehensive search of computerized databases was conducted in July 2018 in the following databases published from 2013 to 2018: CINAHL, PubMed, and Academic Search Complete. Results: The database searches yielded a total of 183 articles. Forty-four duplicates were removed. There were 114 results excluded based on title and abstract ineligibility. Thirty-two relevant articles were retrieved for fulltext examination. Eighteen of the articles were excluded based on the inclusion or exclusion criteria. References of 14 included articles were hand-searched for relevant works to ensure completeness of the search. Four pertinent additional articles were identified. The final analysis included 18 articles. Discussion: Current research on technology use for frail older adults focuses on assessment and diagnosis. Methodological weaknesses limit generalizability and the validity of its findings. Few studies utilize frailty as an outcome measure, limiting available research directly related to frailty. Conclusion: More research is needed on the potential for technological tools as interventions for frailty in older adults living at home, specifically, to prevent pre-frailty and frailty. Keywords: frailty, frail elderly, aged, independent living, technology