Scoping Review of the Literature on Smart Healthcare for Older Adults

Smart healthcare systems are being designed to provide medical services to and improve the daily lives of older adults. However, most research has been focused on technical issues, despite a need to conduct in-depth studies on related ethical issues. Therefore, this study aimed to examine ethical issues in smart healthcare for older adults. We reviewed published literature using PubMed. In total, 292 documents were analyzed by applying the scoping review method. Finally, 29 articles were selected from the 292 articles. Ethical issues in smart healthcare for older adults were analyzed in terms of the themes of responsibility/autonomy (n=10), privacy (n=9), and digital divide (n=10). Technical help provided by smart healthcare may infringe on the autonomy of tacit choice for older adults. This pose a potential ethical issue as the subject of responsibility here is unclear. Privacy is a concern as smart technology may intrude the personal life of the user. The digital divide is a challenge because of low responsiveness from older adults to technological changes. The future development and application of smart healthcare systems must take these ethical aspects into account to enable their efficient and effective use in supplementing healthcare for older adults. Critical discussions to identify ethical issues and customize ethical requirements for specific user needs are necessary among smart healthcare providers.