Conversational Systems for Social Care in Older Adults: Protocol for a Scoping Review.

Journal: JMIR research protocols
Published Date: Jul 10, 2025

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Social care systems worldwide face increasing demographic and financial pressures. This necessitates exploring innovative technological solutions to enhance service delivery without substantially increasing costs. Conversational interfaces, including interactive voice response, chatbots, and voice assistants, have gained traction as a means to improve accessibility and efficiency in social care. The rapid development of large language models such as ChatGPT has further accelerated interest in conversational artificial intelligence (AI). These technologies can offer intuitive interactions, particularly for individuals with limited digital literacy. However, their real-world impact, usability, and ethical considerations in social care remain underexplored.

Authors

  • Rosiered Brownson-Smith
    Translational and Clinical Research Institute, Depth AI Lab, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom.
  • Ananya Ananthakrishnan
    Translational and Clinical Research Institute, Depth AI Lab, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom.
  • Oksana Hagen
    Centre for Health Technology, Faculty of Science and Engineering, University of Plymouth, Plymouth, United Kingdom.
  • Cen Cong
    Translational and Clinical Research Institute, Depth AI Lab, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom.
  • Amir Aly
    Centre for Health Technology, Faculty of Science and Engineering, University of Plymouth, Plymouth, United Kingdom.
  • Ray B Jones
    Faculty of Health and Human Sciences, University of Plymouth, Plymouth, UK.
  • Edward Meinert
    Digitally Enabled PrevenTative Health Research Group, Department of Paediatrics, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom.

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