Context: The number of people with dementia is increasing dramatically. With the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, digital screening tests can play a significant role in the remote and timely detection of people with dementia. This study aimed to review digital cognitive tests for dementia screening. Methods: We searched Web of Science, ProQuest, PubMed, Scopus, and Cochrane using related terms such as “dementia,” “mobile,” “digital,” “computer,” and “cognitive assessment,” leading to the emergence of 1,348 articles. Titles, abstracts, and full texts were screened to select the relevant articles based on inclusion/exclusion criteria. Study characteristics and digital test features such as diagnostic performance and deploying platforms were extracted from selected articles. The risk of bias and reporting quality were evaluated in the included studies. Results: Out of 1,348 identified articles, 32 were eligible for inclusion. We categorized digital cognitive tests into 3 groups based on deploying platforms: 1) Mobile-based screening tests (59.5%), 2) desktop-based screening tests (28%), and 3) web-based screening tests (12.5%). Conclusions: Digital cognitive tests, especially mobile-based screening tests, facilitate the timely diagnosis of dementia. The development of AI-based screening tests and the use of technologies such as virtual reality and chatbots will set a bright future in the early detection of dementia.

Background: The number of people with dementia is increasing dramatically. With the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, use of digital screening tests can play a significant role in the remote and timely detection of people with dementia. The aim of this study is to review digital cognitive tests for dementia screening. Methods: We searched Web of Science, ProQuest, PubMed, Scopus and Cochrane in June, 2022. 1348 articles were identified. After reviewing the articles and excluding duplicates and irrelevant articles, thirty-two articles met our inclusion criteria. Results: The studies were classified into 3 groups as follows: 1) mobile-based screening tests 2) desktop-based screening tests 3) web-based screening tests. Conclusion: The use of digital cognitive tests, especially mobile-based screening tests, facilitates timely diagnosis of dementia. Development of AI-based screening tests and use of technologies such as virtual reality and chatbots will set a bright future in early detection of dementia.

Background: Artificial intelligence (AI) Chatbots are computer programs that simulate human conversation and use artificial intelligence including machine learning and natural language processing to interact with users via natural language. With the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the use of digital health technologies such as chatbot has accelerated. This study aimed to investigate the application of AI chatbots in combating COVID-19 pandemic and to explore their features. Methods: We reviewed of literature on health chatbots during the COVID-19 pandemic. PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science and Google Scholar were searched by using related keywords such as "chatbot", “conversational agent” and “Artificial intelligence”. To select the relevant articles, we conducted title, abstract, and full-text screening based on inclusion/exclusion criteria. Chatbots, their applications and design features were extracted from selected articles. Results: Out of 673 articles initially identified, 17 articles were eligible for inclusion. We categorized selected AI chatbots based on their roles, applications and design characteristics. 70% of chatbots had preventive role. Our review identified 8 key applications of the AI chatbots during the COVID-19 pandemic that includes: 1) information dissemination and education 2) self-assessment and screening 3) connect to health centers 4) combating misinformation and fake news 5) patients tracking and service delivery 6) mental health 7) monitoring exposure 8) vaccine information and scheduler. AI chatbots were deployed on various platforms including mobile apps, web and social media. Mobile-based chatbots were the most frequent. All of chatbots use NLU methods to understand natural language input and act on the user’s request. More than 50% of AI chatbots were used NLU platforms including Google Dialogflow, Rasa framework and IBM Watson. Conclusion: The AI chatbots can play an effective role to combat COVID-19 pandemic. Increasing people's awareness, optimal use of health resources, reducing unnecessary encounters are some advantages of using AI chatbots during COVID-19 outbreak. Using NLU platforms can be a suitable solution in the development of AI chatbots in healthcare domain. With advancement of Artificial intelligence field, it seems that AI chatbots will mark a bright future in healthcare specially in public health, chronic diseases management and mental health.