ArticlePloS one2026
The impact of digital health on loneliness and social isolation for older adults: A scoping review protocol.
Article in PloS one, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
As populations age and healthcare systems increasingly adopt digital health technologies and alternative models of service delivery, understanding their broader social impact is becoming increasingly important. Digital health technologies are transforming how older adults access and manage healthcare services and may help alleviate pressure on healthcare systems. However, there is limited research examining whether digital health technologies mitigate or exacerbate experiences of loneliness and social isolation among older adults. Loneliness refers to the subjective feeling of inadequate social connection, while social isolation denotes the objective absence of social relationships. Both are associated with poorer physical and mental health, increased healthcare utilisation, and become more prevalent in later life. This protocol outlines a scoping review that will map the existing literature on the relationship between digital health technologies and loneliness and social isolation among older adults. The review will identify the types of digital health technologies that have been studied, examine how loneliness and social isolation have been defined and measured, and highlight gaps in the current evidence base to inform future research, policy, and practice. To our knowledge, this will be the first scoping review to comprehensively examine the intersection of digital health, loneliness, and social isolation in older adults. The protocol has been preregistered on the Open Science Framework (OSF Registries, available at: https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/92FPE).
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.