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Mapping Digital and Assistive Technologies for Dementia and Related Neurodegenerative Conditions: A Scoping Review
Birgen S, Fan M, Chimbaiwala S, Jeyasingh-Jacob J, Fox C, Dawes H, Haar S.. medRxiv, 2026-07-01
Topic: Health services, long-term care and technology
Neurodegenerative conditions increasingly adopt digital and assistive technologies in community and home-based settings to support independence, symptom management and quality of life. This registered scoping review ( https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/QJZC9 ) followed Joanna Briggs Institute methodology and PRISMA-ScR reporting guidelines to map the evidence base and assess technology adoption, methodological maturity and translational readiness. We identified 23,453 records published between 2001 and 2025, of which 325 studies met the inclusion criteria. Parkinson’s disease represented 49.5% of studies, followed by Alzheimer’s and other dementias (33.6%), whereas Huntington’s disease and motor neuron disease were rarely represented. The evidence base expanded rapidly over the last decade but was dominated by small, short-duration, prototype-based evaluations. Mobility and Health Monitoring comprised 73.5% of studies, while Communication and Activities of Daily Living support were comparatively underrepresented. Greater convergence around validated platforms and evaluation pathways may be required to improve translation and real-world impact.
Key findings
- We identified 23,453 records published between 2001 and 2025, of which 325 studies met the inclusion criteria.
- Parkinson’s disease represented 49.5% of studies, followed by Alzheimer’s and other dementias (33.6%), whereas Huntington’s disease and motor neuron disease were rarely represented.
- The evidence base expanded rapidly over the last decade but was dominated by small, short-duration, prototype-based evaluations.
- Mobility and Health Monitoring comprised 73.5% of studies, while Communication and Activities of Daily Living support were comparatively underrepresented.
- Greater convergence around validated platforms and evaluation pathways may be required to improve translation and real-world impact.
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Study details
- Effect size49.5%; 33.6%; 73.5%
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 16/100
Preprint — not yet peer-reviewed. It scored 27 on the same rubric, but non-peer-reviewed sources are capped at 16, so it shows as 16. Scored zero for study design, sample size, studied in people and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it. We have no data on times cited, citations per year, impact for its field and year, cited by studies here, still being cited, senior author's track record, institution's track record and multi-centre collaboration, so those were left out: it earned 17 of the 62 points we could judge it on, which is 27 out of 100.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 2 / 10 | Tier 4 — not a peer-reviewed journal (medRxiv) |
| Journal's citation record | 0 / 4 | Not a journal article, so the journal's record does not count |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 4 / 10 | Preprint — not yet peer-reviewed. Hosted on a preprint server. |
| How recent | 5 / 5 | 2026 — within 1 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 0 / 4 | Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Effect reported | 2 / 3 | Effect reported as a number, without an interval or test |
| Studied in people | 0 / 3 | Not stated whether this was studied in people — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | — / 7 | No citation count (not found in OpenAlex) — left out of this score |
| Citations per year | — / 5 | No citation count or no year — left out of this score |
| Impact for its field and year | — / 6 | No field-weighted citation impact (OpenAlex has none yet) — left out of this score |
| Cited by studies here | — / 6 | Not yet checked against this library's citation graph — left out of this score |
| Still being cited | — / 4 | No yearly citation counts — left out of this score |
| Senior author's track record | — / 4 | Senior author's record not available — left out of this score |
| Institution's track record | — / 3 | No institution listed in OpenAlex — left out of this score |
| Multi-centre collaboration | — / 3 | Institutions not listed — left out of this score |
| Indexed in PubMed | 1 / 2 | Not in PubMed, but has a DOI |
| Free to read | 2 / 2 | Free to read |
| Points | 17 / 62 | Scored on 12 of 20 parts. We have no data for the rest, so they are left out: 17 of the 62 points we could judge it on is 27 out of 100. |
| Total | 27 / 100 | Capped to 16 because this is not a peer-reviewed article. |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
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Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. The record names 7 authors; APA and Vancouver show the first six, BibTeX and the downloads carry all of them. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Birgen, S., Fan, M., Chimbaiwala, S., Jeyasingh-Jacob, J., Fox, C., Dawes, H., et al. (2026). Mapping Digital and Assistive Technologies for Dementia and Related Neurodegenerative Conditions: A Scoping Review. medRxiv. https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.06.30.26356906
Vancouver
Birgen S, Fan M, Chimbaiwala S, Jeyasingh-Jacob J, Fox C, Dawes H, et al. Mapping Digital and Assistive Technologies for Dementia and Related Neurodegenerative Conditions: A Scoping Review. medRxiv. 2026. doi:10.64898/2026.06.30.26356906.
BibTeX
@article{birgen2026-1e448cb4,
author = {Birgen, S. and Fan, M. and Chimbaiwala, S. and Jeyasingh-Jacob, J. and Fox, C. and Dawes, H. and Haar, S.},
title = {{Mapping Digital and Assistive Technologies for Dementia and Related Neurodegenerative Conditions: A Scoping Review}},
journal = {medRxiv},
year = {2026},
doi = {10.64898/2026.06.30.26356906},
url = {https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.06.30.26356906}
}
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