JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

The majority of people with dementia reside in the community and are cared for by family members. Family carers play an essential role in supporting their loved ones with dementia and require adequate education and support to address their care needs. In recent years, there has been growing interest in the use of chatbot/conversational agent technologies in healthcare, particularly to provide education and support for carers. However, evidence on the development, use and effectiveness of these technologies in dementia care remains limited.

Objective:

This integrative review aims to synthesise evidence on chatbot applications as an educational and supportive tool for family carers of people with dementia.

Methods:

An integrative literature review will be conducted following Whittemore and Knafl’s Framework. The findings will be reported in accordance with PRISMA guidelines. The search strategy will be structured around three broad concepts: ‘dementia’, ‘carers’, and ‘chatbot applications’. Peer-reviewed, full-text articles published in English from inception to 2026 that address the design, development, or evaluation of chatbot applications for family carers of people with dementia will be included. Editorials, study protocols, review articles, opinion and perspective papers, technical notes, and non-English publications will be excluded. Covidence software will be used to manage study screening. At least two independent reviewers will screen titles, abstracts, and full texts and extract data using a pre-tested data extraction form. Methodological quality will be assessed using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool Version 2018, and data relevance will be evaluated using a 2-point scale (high or low).

Results:

The literature search will start in March 2026, and the findings are expected to be published as an integrative literature review, with submission for publication in December 2026.

Conclusions:

This integrative review aims to synthesise evidence from qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-methods studies to provide a comprehensive understanding of how chatbot interventions are conceptualised, developed, and evaluated within dementia caregiving contexts. In addition, the review will identify key barriers and challenges as well as ethical and safety concerns associated with the design, development, and implementation of chatbot applications for family carers of people with dementia. Clinical Trial: Submitted for PROSPERO registration.