Currently submitted to: JMIR Research Protocols
Date Submitted: Jun 14, 2026
Open Peer Review Period: Jun 15, 2026 - Aug 10, 2026
(currently open for review)
Warning: This is an author submission that is not peer-reviewed or edited. Preprints - unless they show as "accepted" - should not be relied on to guide clinical practice or health-related behavior and should not be reported in news media as established information.
The impact of mobile digital health applications on individuals with dementia or mild cognitive impairment: a systematic review protocol
ABSTRACT
Background:
Dementia is a progressive, largely irreversible clinical condition, characterised by a global deterioration in intellectual function, behaviour and personality. The worldwide prevalence of dementia in 2025 was 55 million people and is expected to rise to over 150 million by 2050, giving a 42% lifetime risk of dementia after age 55 years. Digital health interventions offer a promising solution for safe, effective care, providing remote cognitive, psychological and health promotion support, to reduce loneliness, improve wellbeing and enhance quality of life in dementia or mild-cognitive impairment (MCI). Research examining the comparative effectiveness, safety and impact on health outcomes is limited, however.
Objective:
This aim of this systematic review is to synthesize the evidence on the impact of mobile digital health applications for individuals with dementia or MCI.
Methods:
This review will include peer-reviewed, primary qualitative and quantitative research, on the impact of mobile digital health applications on individuals with dementia or MCI, published after 1st January 2020. Secondary reviews, meta-analyses, conference abstracts, editorials, and grey literature will be excluded. Ovid MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO, CINAHL, CENTRAL and Scopus databases will be searched. Two independent reviewers will undertake title and abstract screening, data extraction and quality assessment using the Cochrane Risk of Bias (ROB2) tool, and the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) quality assessment tool. Discrepancies will be resolved by consensus. The protocol will follow the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Protocol (PRISMA-P) guideline.
Results:
A narrative synthesis will be presented following standard guidelines. The review is expected to be completed by September 2026.
Conclusions:
This review will provide an overview of the impact of digital health interventions in the form of mobile applications on individuals with dementia or mild cognitive impairment. It will inform future research and intervention studies on the impacts of mobile applications on the care of adults with dementia or mild cognitive impairment, to optimize future care and policy. Clinical Trial: Prospero Registration Number: CRD420251139512
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