Digital exclusion in older adults: A scoping review

Background: The intersection of aging and digitalization is a distinctive feature of this new era. While digitalization brings convenience, it also forces older people to use tools that did not exist during their formative or working years. Understanding digital exclusion in older adults, the primary demographic affected, is essential to better support integration into the digital society, particularly in enhancing digital healthcare services' usability, continuity, and precision. Objective: This study aims to conduct a scoping review of digital exclusion to better understand its current state in older adults. Methods: The scoping review followed a five-stage framework and the PRISMA-ScR checklist statement. We systematically searched PubMed, CINAHL Plus with Full Text, Academic Search Complete, ACM digital library, Web of Science, and ProQuest from the earliest available date to May 2024. Results: A total of 39 articles were included in the scoping review. The attributes of digital exclusion were identified as resource exclusion, skills exclusion, and motivational exclusion. Contributing factors were categorized into three domains: sociodemographic characteristics, physiological conditions, and psychological states. The consequences of digital exclusion were separated into social exclusion and technology anxiety. Intervention strategies included accessibility, ability, and willingness, aligning with the attributes of digital exclusion in older adults. Conclusions: The findings of this scoping review contribute to understanding and clarifying digital exclusion in older adults. Digital exclusion is a prevalent, complex, multi-causal, and multidimensional phenomenon that predisposes individuals to social exclusion. Identifying attributes, contributing factors, and consequences can guide digital product developers, sociologists, and geriatric clinicians in addressing digital exclusion in older adults to improve their mental and physical well-being. Future research should focus more on empirical studies to deepen our understanding of digital exclusion in older adults. Tweetable abstract: The definition of digital exclusion is inconsistent. Further clarification of contributing factors, developing measurement tools, and formulating interventions for digital exclusion in older adults can contribute to achieving consensus on the concept.