Barriers to the Usability of Mobile Health Applications in Older Adults: A Scoping Review

This registration documents the protocol of a scoping review on the barriers older adults face when using mobile health (mHealth) applications. The review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of design-related, functional, content-related, privacy-related, financial and technical barriers that affect the usability, accessibility and acceptance of health apps among adults aged 60 years and older. The review follows the Arksey and O’Malley framework as refined by the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) guidance for scoping reviews, and is reported according to PRISMA-ScR. MEDLINE, Embase, the Cochrane Library and CINAHL were searched (14 May to 5 June 2025) using controlled vocabulary and free-text terms for health apps, accessibility and barriers, usability and design, and older adults. Studies published in English or German within the past 10 years were eligible if they examined a mobile health application with older adults (mean age ≥ 60 years, or participants ≥ 60 years analysed separately) and addressed accessibility, usability, user experience, or barriers to app use. Qualitative, quantitative and mixed-methods studies as well as reviews were considered. Study protocols, studies focusing exclusively on health care professionals, and purely computer- or website-based interventions were excluded. Titles/abstracts and full texts were screened against predefined criteria. Data (study characteristics, population, app type, reported barriers) were extracted with a structured form and synthesised thematically and narratively. In line with JBI guidance, no formal critical appraisal was performed.