Informal Caregiver Decision-Making Factors Associated With Technology Adoption and Use in Home Healthcare: A Systematic Scoping Review

Technology systems to alleviate the burden of caregiving are increasing in use. The home is a unique place where chronic disease management is often performed by informal caregivers, yet how caregivers make decisions about adopting a specific technology has not been thoroughly explored. This systematic scoping review mapped evidence on decision-making factors associated with technology adoption and use by caregivers of patients receiving care at home. We followed the recommendations developed by members of the Joanna Briggs Institute. Four electronic databases (PubMed, Medline, CINAHL, and Embase) were searched using both medical subject headings (MeSH terms) and key words. A total of six papers were included for data synthesis. Factors such as information, comprehension, motivation, time, perceived burden, and perceived caregiving competency were found to affect adoption of technology. There are other factors uniquely springing from the patient and technology, as well as shared issues between caregivers and patient, and caregivers and technology. Although some factors depend on technology type and patient diagnosis, there were some common factors across the research. Those factors can be carefully considered in referring technology use for caregivers. More focused study in this underinvestigated area is much needed.