Abstract
Internet usage may help promote the physical and mental health of older adults living in Residential Aged Care Facilities (RACF). There is little evidence of how these older citizens use internet services. This systematic review aims to explore the trends and factors contributing to internet use among aged care residents. A systematic search will be conducted on nine online databases—MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycInfo, CINAHL, AgeLine, ProQuest, Web of Science, Scopus, and the Cochrane Library. Two reviewers will independently conduct title and abstract screening, full-text reading, critical appraisal, and data extraction. Any discrepancies will be resolved by consensus. Methodological risk of bias will be assessed using the Effective Public Health Practice Project measure and Joanna Briggs Institute checklist. We will report a narrative synthesis of the evidence. Information on factors contributing to internet use and their strength of association will be reported. If feasible, we will undertake a meta-analysis and meta-synthesis. Our review will provide information on the factors predicting internet use among older adults in residential aged care facilities. The evidence from this review will help to formulate further research objectives and, potentially, to design an intervention to trial internet access for these groups. (Protocol Registration: PROSPERO-CRD 42020161227).
Highlights
Older adults choose to use the internet for many reasons
These studies reflect internet usage among older adults but are not specific to those living in Residential Aged Care Facilities (RACFs)
It was further reported that community-dwelling older adults were two times more likely to browse the internet compared with residents in RACFs [7]
Summary
Older adults (people aged 65 years and above) choose to use the internet for many reasons. Some evidence suggests that older adults participate in online health promotion activities such as cancer screening [6] These studies reflect internet usage among older adults but are not specific to those living in Residential Aged Care Facilities (RACFs). A few studies report lower internet use among the residents in aged care facilities compared with community-dwelling older adults of similar age [7,8]. It was further reported that community-dwelling older adults were two times more likely to browse the internet compared with residents in RACFs [7] In another study, it was Digital 2022, 2, 46–52. While internet technology plays an important role in an older person’s life in residential aged care by promoting social connectedness and physical and mental wellbeing, very little is known about its access and use among these residents. We will further explore the strength of association of factors predicting internet use and the models used to determine this relationship
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