Digital Health Technologies for Metabolic Disorders in Older Adults: A Scoping Review Protocol

Introduction: Metabolic disorders (type 2 diabetes, insulin resistance, hyperglycemia, obesity, hyperlipidemia, hypertension, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, and metabolic syndrome) are leading causes of mortality and disability worldwide and disproportionately affect older adults relative to those younger. Digital health technologies (DHTs), such as patient monitoring, digital diagnostics, and digital therapeutics, emerge as promising tools for navigating health in day-to-day life. However, their role in targeting metabolic disorders, particularly among a key demographic of older adults, is not yet fully understood. Thus, this work aims to scope the use of DHTs in managing metabolic health disorders among older adults. Methods and Analysis: We will conduct a scoping review following the recommended framework by Arksey and O'Malley (1). Our search will focus on three primary concepts: metabolic disorders, DHTs, and older adults. We plan to search five online databases (Cochrane, Embase, PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science) to identify original research articles published between January 2014 and January 2024. Two reviewers will independently screen articles for inclusion based on predetermined criteria, and a separate reviewer will resolve conflicts. Data will be extracted using a standardized form, and the findings will be synthesized and reported qualitatively and quantitatively. Ethics and dissemination. No ethics approval is required for this protocol and scoping review, as data will be used only from published studies with appropriate ethics approval. Results will be disseminated in a peer-reviewed publication. This protocol has been preregistered on OSF Repository at: https://osf.io/9s8fm. ### Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest. ### Funding Statement This study did not receive any funding ### Author Declarations I confirm all relevant ethical guidelines have been followed, and any necessary IRB and/or ethics committee approvals have been obtained. Yes I confirm that all necessary patient/participant consent has been obtained and the appropriate institutional forms have been archived, and that any patient/participant/sample identifiers included were not known to anyone (e.g., hospital staff, patients or participants themselves) outside the research group so cannot be used to identify individuals. Yes I understand that all clinical trials and any other prospective interventional studies must be registered with an ICMJE-approved registry, such as ClinicalTrials.gov. I confirm that any such study reported in the manuscript has been registered and the trial registration ID is provided (note: if posting a prospective study registered retrospectively, please provide a statement in the trial ID field explaining why the study was not registered in advance). Yes I have followed all appropriate research reporting guidelines, such as any relevant EQUATOR Network research reporting checklist(s) and other pertinent material, if applicable. Yes All data produced in the present study are available upon reasonable request to the authors