Exploring Acceptance Factors for Welfare Technology among Nurses in Non-Clinical Care for Older Adults: A Scoping Review

Abstract

Welfare technologies are becoming a necessity for health and long-term care, but little is known about their acceptance by nurses working with older adults in institutional, home, or community setting. The aim of this five-stage scoping review was to address this knowledge gap by identifying factors influencing nurses’ acceptance of welfare technologies, both before and after using them. A search of seven bibliographic databases and grey literature was conducted in December 2022, and based on defined selection criteria, 27 sources published between 2007 and 2022 were then considered. The data were examined with ATLAS.ti 9 using content-based analysis, and five groups of acceptance factors were identified: individual, organisational, patient, technological, and social influence. Post-use acceptance factors were found to be more nuanced than pre-use factors. While the pre-use factors included mainly attitudes, needs, outcome expectations, and ethical concerns, the post-use factors more prominently featured experience, usefulness, technical issues, device characteristics, effort expectancy, and organisational factors. Nevertheless, patient-centeredness was reflected in both. This study contributes to a better understanding of the factors affecting nurses’ acceptance of welfare technologies in the care of older adults in non-clinical settings, and it underscores the patient’s pivotal role in all aspects of nursing practice. By offering insights into both pre-use and post-use factors, this study gives an enriched perspective on the acceptance of welfare technologies in nursing care and provides guidance for future research and practice.