Virtual Coaches for Older Adults’ Wellbeing: A Systematic Review

Kamali, Mira El; Angelini, Leonardo; Caon, Maurizio; Carrino, Francesco; Röcke, Christina; Guye, Sabrina; Rizzo, Giovanna; Mastropietro, Alfonso; Sýkora, Martin; Elayan, Suzanne; Kniestedt, Isabelle; Ziylan, Canan; Lettieri, Emanuele; Khaled, Omar Abou; Mugellini, Elena

doi:10.1109/access.2020.2996404

Cited by 39 publications

(33 citation statements)

References 76 publications

(477 reference statements)

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“…This is in line also with a recent review in the field [ 33 ], as the authors conclude that virtual agents should not simply make a user-friendly coaching intervention, but they should build empathy and feeling of trust in the e-coach, in order to promote a solid change of unhealthy behaviors.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 88%

Coaching Through Technology: A Systematic Review into Efficacy and Effectiveness for the Ageing Population

Bevilacqua

Casaccia

Cortellessa

et al. 2020

IJERPH

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Background: Despite the evidence on the positive role of self-management, the adoption of health coaching strategies for older people is still limited. To address these gaps, recent efforts have been made in the ICT sector in order to develop systems for delivering coaching and overcoming barriers relating to scarcity of resources. The aim of this review is to examine the efficacy of personal health coaching systems for older adults using digital virtual agents. Methods: A systematic review of the literature was conducted in December 2019 analyzing manuscripts from four databases over the last 10 years. Nine papers were included. Results: Despite the low number of studies, there was evidence that technology-integrated interventions can deliver benefits for health over usual care. However, the review raises important questions about how to maintain benefits and permanence of behavior change produced by short-term interventions. Conclusion: These systems offer a potential tool to reduce costs, minimize therapist burden and training, and expand the range of clients who can benefit from them. It is desirable that in the future the number of studies will grow, considering other aspects such as the role of the virtual coaches’ characteristics, social-presence, empathy, usability, and health literacy.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 88%

Coaching Through Technology: A Systematic Review into Efficacy and Effectiveness for the Ageing Population

Bevilacqua

Casaccia

Cortellessa

et al. 2020

IJERPH

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…To comprehensively identify relevant keywords, we resorted to using a purposive sample of 13 literature reviews [ 6 , 7 , 9 , 10 , 18 , 20 - 29 ] and a review protocol [ 30 ] related to conversational agents for health and well-being. A total of 318 keywords were extracted.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Initially, we listed the data sources used by the aforementioned sample of studies [ 6 , 7 , 9 , 10 , 18 , 20 - 30 ]. This led to a set of the following nine potentially useful scientific literature databases: MEDLINE; CINAHL; Web of Science; Scopus; the Cochrane, ACM, IEEE, and Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) databases; and Google Scholar.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Conversational Agents for Health and Well-being Across the Life Course: Protocol for an Evidence Map

Guerreiro¹,

Angelini²,

Henriques³

et al. 2021

JMIR Res Protoc

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Background Conversational agents, which we defined as computer programs that are designed to simulate two-way human conversation by using language and are potentially supplemented with nonlanguage modalities, offer promising avenues for health interventions for different populations across the life course. There is a lack of open-access and user-friendly resources for identifying research trends and gaps and pinpointing expertise across international centers. Objective Our aim is to provide an overview of all relevant evidence on conversational agents for health and well-being across the life course. Specifically, our objectives are to identify, categorize, and synthesize—through visual formats and a searchable database—primary studies and reviews in this research field. Methods An evidence map was selected as the type of literature review to be conducted, as it optimally corresponded to our aim. We systematically searched 8 databases (MEDLINE; CINAHL; Web of Science; Scopus; the Cochrane, ACM, IEEE, and Joanna Briggs Institute databases; and Google Scholar). We will perform backward citation searching on all included studies. The first stage of a double-stage screening procedure, which was based on abstracts and titles only, was conducted by using predetermined eligibility criteria for primary studies and reviews. An operational screening procedure was developed for streamlined and consistent screening across the team. Double data extraction will be performed with previously piloted data collection forms. We will appraise systematic reviews by using A Measurement Tool to Assess Systematic Reviews (AMSTAR) 2. Primary studies and reviews will be assessed separately in the analysis. Data will be synthesized through descriptive statistics, bivariate statistics, and subgroup analysis (if appropriate) and through high-level maps such as scatter and bubble charts. The development of the searchable database will be informed by the research questions and data extraction forms. Results As of April 2021, the literature search in the eight databases was concluded, yielding a total of 16,351 records. The first stage of screening, which was based on abstracts and titles only, resulted in the selection of 1282 records of primary studies and 151 records of reviews. These will be subjected to second-stage screening. A glossary with operational definitions for supporting the study selection and data extraction stages was drafted. The anticipated completion date is October 2021. Conclusions Our wider definition of a conversational agent and the broad scope of our evidence map will explicate trends and gaps in this field of research. Additionally, our evidence map and searchable database of studies will help researchers to avoid fragmented research efforts and wasteful redundancies. Finally, as part of the Harnessing the Power of Conversational e-Coaches for Health and Well-being Through Swiss-Portuguese Collaboration project, our work will also inform the development of an international taxonomy on conversational agents for health and well-being, thereby contributing to terminology standardization and categorization. International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID) DERR1-10.2196/26680

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“…To comprehensively identify relevant keywords, we resorted to using a purposive sample of 13 literature reviews [6,7,9,10,18,[20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29] and a review protocol [30] related to conversational agents for health and well-being. A total of 318 keywords were extracted.…”

Section: Abstractelection and Initial Database Querymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Initially, we listed the data sources used by the aforementioned sample of studies [6,7,9,10,18,[20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30]. This led to a set of the following nine potentially useful scientific literature databases: MEDLINE; CINAHL; Web of Science; Scopus; the Cochrane, ACM, IEEE, and Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) databases; and Google Scholar.…”

Section: Database Selectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Conversational Agents for Health and Well-being Across the Life Course: Protocol for an Evidence Map (Preprint)

Guerreiro¹,

Angelini²,

Henriques³

et al. 2020

Preprint

Self Cite

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BACKGROUND Conversational agents, which we defined as computer programs that are designed to simulate two-way human conversation by using language and are potentially supplemented with nonlanguage modalities, offer promising avenues for health interventions for different populations across the life course. There is a lack of open-access and user-friendly resources for identifying research trends and gaps and pinpointing expertise across international centers. OBJECTIVE Our aim is to provide an overview of all relevant evidence on conversational agents for health and well-being across the life course. Specifically, our objectives are to identify, categorize, and synthesize—through visual formats and a searchable database—primary studies and reviews in this research field. METHODS An evidence map was selected as the type of literature review to be conducted, as it optimally corresponded to our aim. We systematically searched 8 databases (MEDLINE; CINAHL; Web of Science; Scopus; the Cochrane, ACM, IEEE, and Joanna Briggs Institute databases; and Google Scholar). We will perform backward citation searching on all included studies. The first stage of a double-stage screening procedure, which was based on abstracts and titles only, was conducted by using predetermined eligibility criteria for primary studies and reviews. An operational screening procedure was developed for streamlined and consistent screening across the team. Double data extraction will be performed with previously piloted data collection forms. We will appraise systematic reviews by using A Measurement Tool to Assess Systematic Reviews (AMSTAR) 2. Primary studies and reviews will be assessed separately in the analysis. Data will be synthesized through descriptive statistics, bivariate statistics, and subgroup analysis (if appropriate) and through high-level maps such as scatter and bubble charts. The development of the searchable database will be informed by the research questions and data extraction forms. RESULTS As of April 2021, the literature search in the eight databases was concluded, yielding a total of 16,351 records. The first stage of screening, which was based on abstracts and titles only, resulted in the selection of 1282 records of primary studies and 151 records of reviews. These will be subjected to second-stage screening. A glossary with operational definitions for supporting the study selection and data extraction stages was drafted. The anticipated completion date is October 2021. CONCLUSIONS Our wider definition of a conversational agent and the broad scope of our evidence map will explicate trends and gaps in this field of research. Additionally, our evidence map and searchable database of studies will help researchers to avoid fragmented research efforts and wasteful redundancies. Finally, as part of the Harnessing the Power of Conversational e-Coaches for Health and Well-being Through Swiss-Portuguese Collaboration project, our work will also inform the development of an international taxonomy on conversational agents for health and well-being, thereby contributing to terminology standardization and categorization. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT DERR1-10.2196/26680

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Virtual Coaches for Older Adults’ Wellbeing: A Systematic Review

Cited by 39 publications

References 76 publications

Coaching Through Technology: A Systematic Review into Efficacy and Effectiveness for the Ageing Population

Coaching Through Technology: A Systematic Review into Efficacy and Effectiveness for the Ageing Population

Conversational Agents for Health and Well-being Across the Life Course: Protocol for an Evidence Map

Conversational Agents for Health and Well-being Across the Life Course: Protocol for an Evidence Map (Preprint)

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