The Urgent Need for Scientific Evaluation of Digital Technology Acceptance among Nursing Staff in Geriatric Long-Term Care: A Systematic Review (Preprint)

<sec> <title>BACKGROUND</title> Digital technologies are increasingly being introduced into the healthcare system and in settings like hospitals and geriatric long-term care (LTC) facilities, offering potential benefits such as improved care quality, reduced workload or enhanced documentation processes. However, the success of these technologies depends also on their acceptance by the primary users, the nursing staff, especially in the field of geriatric LTC, where the care employees are more involved in basic care of the elderly. </sec> <sec> <title>OBJECTIVE</title> This work synthesizes subsequent empirical studies that have explored the acceptance of digital technologies by nursing staff in geriatric LTC settings, building upon the foundational work by Yu et al. which was published in 2009 [1]. The goal is to highlight the extent to which this topic has been addressed in the literature, to identify influencing factors that have emerged in the literature over the past years regarding the acceptance of digital technologies in geriatric LTC facilities and to highlight the lack of empirical studies in the LTC-field. </sec> <sec> <title>METHODS</title> A systematic literature review was conducted following PRISMA 2020 guidelines. The SPIDER framework was used for eligibility criteria. Databases searched included PubMed, ACM Digital Library, Web of Science and the Health Administration Database (ProQuest). Studies were included if they empirically examined the acceptance of digital technologies by nursing staff in geriatric LTC settings. Two reviewers independently screened the studies, extracted data and assessed methodological quality using the CASP (Critical Appraisal Skills Programme) checklist. </sec> <sec> <title>RESULTS</title> A total of three studies met the criteria, highlighting a gap in research on this topic. Although limited in number, these studies offer initial insights and provide a basis for further investigation. The studies applied cross-sectional quantitative designs, highlighted critical determinants of technology acceptance, including perceived usefulness, ease of use, digital competence and organizational support. The studies involved a total of n=1,019 participants from Germany, Australia and The Netherlands. Barriers included lack of user involvement, lack of training, poor system design and demographic differences in digital affinity. </sec> <sec> <title>CONCLUSIONS</title> This review underscores the insufficient scientific attention to digital technology acceptance among LTC nursing staff. Nevertheless, the results show that the acceptance of digital technologies by nursing staff in geriatric LTC settings is triggered by a constellation of individual factors, like digital competence and perceived relevance of technology and organizational factors like access to training and involvement of staff in the implementation process. However, to ensure sustainable digital transformation in geriatric LTC, further scientific evaluations to this specific care setting are urgently needed. </sec>