Building trust in long-term care settings using assistive technology: a systematic review

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Health Informatics
• Sociology of Health

Background:

• Trust is fundamental in the caregiver-care receiver relationship within long-term care settings.
• Assistive technology integration in long-term care significantly impacts care quality, patient autonomy, and caregiver workload.
• The specific mechanisms of trust involving assistive technology in long-term care remain underexplored.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review and analyze the dynamics of trust in long-term care settings.
• To identify and examine factors influencing trust when assistive technology is implemented.
• To provide insights for improving technology adoption and care strategies in long-term care.

Main Methods:

• Systematic literature review of 32 articles published since 2000.
• Searches conducted across major scientific databases: Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus, and Science Direct.
• Analysis focused on trust dynamics in long-term care involving assistive technology.

Main Results:

• Identified the complex dynamics of trust between caregivers and care receivers in the context of assistive technology.
• Analyzed three critical factor categories influencing trust: care receiver-related, caregiver-related, and assistive technology-related.
• Detailed understanding of factors affecting trust in technology-assisted long-term care.

Conclusions:

• Findings offer crucial insights for long-term care facility operators on technology adoption.
• Informed decisions regarding technology implementation can enhance trust and the overall quality of care.
• Understanding trust dynamics is key to successful integration of assistive technology in long-term care.