Comprehensive overview of computer-based health information tailoring: a scoping review protocol

Abstract

IntroductionTailoring health information to the needs of individuals has become an important part of modern health communications. Tailoring has been addressed by researchers from different disciplines leading to the emergence of a wide range of approaches, making the newcomers confused. In order to address this, a comprehensive overview of the field with the indications of research gaps, tendencies and trends will be helpful. As a result, a systematic protocol was outlined to conduct a scoping review within the field of computer-based health information tailoring.Methods and analysisThis protocol is based on the York’s five-stage framework outlined by Arksey and O’Malley. A field-specific structure was defined as a basis for undertaking each stage. The structure comprised three main aspects: system design, information communication and evaluation. Five leading databases were searched: PubMed, Scopus, Science Direct, EBSCO and IEEE and a broad search strategy was used with less strict inclusion criteria to cover the breadth of evidence. Theoretical frameworks were used to develop the data extraction form and a rigorous approach was introduced to identify the categories from data. Several explanatory-descriptive methods were considered to analyse the data, from which some were proposed to be employed for the first time in scoping studies.Ethics and disseminationThis study investigates the breadth and depth of existing literature on computer-tailoring and as a secondary analysis, does not require ethics approval. We anticipate that the results will identify research gaps and novel ideas for future studies and provide direction to combine methods from different disciplines. The research findings will be submitted for publication to relevant peer-reviewed journals and conferences targeting health promotion and patient education.

Information needs and information seeking behaviour of people with dementia and their non-professional caregivers: a scoping review

“…We sought to evaluate if variables such as sociodemographic characteristics of the population and dementia severity associated with certain information needs and information seeking behaviour. Studies with similar themes were clustered together and the count and percentage of articles in each theme was calculated and reported [26].…”

Protocol for a scoping review of digital health for older adults with cancer and their families

“…25 Therefore, it is crucial to follow a sound methodological guidance or framework, 28 and to have a balance between breadth, comprehensiveness and feasibility. 29 Consistent with the rationale for conducting scoping reviews, the scoping review methodology of knowledge synthesis is well suited to the present review study purpose. Here we describe a scoping review protocol to systematically review published literature on digital health for older adults with cancer, their families and their healthcare providers.…”

“…For quantitative data, we will use frequency distribution analysis to describe the data and map out the evidence by providing a summary of the counts of the included studies. 29 We will also use thematic synthesis to contextualise the findings of the quantitative studies where appropriate. For qualitative data, a narrative synthesis of the findings will be conducted for review questions pertaining to development, usability, outcomes and effectiveness.…”

Information needs and information seeking behaviour of people with dementia and their non-professional caregivers: a scoping review

“…We sought to evaluate if variables such as sociodemographic characteristics of the population and dementia severity associated with certain information needs and information seeking behaviour. Studies with similar themes were clustered together and the count and percentage of articles in each theme was calculated and reported (28).…”