Understanding the Psychosocial Impact of Assistive Technologies for People With Visual Impairments: Protocol for a Scoping Review.

Abstract

Background: There has been a rapid growth in the literature on the design and evaluation of assistive technologies for people with visual impairments; yet, there is a lack of a comprehensive analysis of the existing literature on the classification of immediate-, short-, medium-, and long-term psychosocial impact of assistive technologies on the quality of life of people with visual impairments.

Objective: This protocol outlines the methodology for a scoping review aimed at identifying and synthesizing the existing literature on the psychosocial impact of assistive technologies on the quality of life of people with visual impairments.

Methods: The review will include primary research studies published in English between 2019 and 2024 that focus on the psychosocial outcomes of assistive technologies for people with visual impairments. Eligible studies will involve participants with visual impairments, of all ages and across various settings, examining psychological (eg, emotional well-being and self-esteem) and social outcomes (eg, social participation and support). Searches will be conducted across 7 electronic research databases: CINAHL (EBSCO), PsycINFO (EBSCO), ACM Digital Library, IEEE Xplore, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar (first 100 records). Studies will undergo screening and selection based on predefined eligibility criteria, with data extraction focusing on publication details, study design, population characteristics, type of assistive technology, and psychosocial impacts. Results will be summarized using descriptive statistics, charts, and narrative synthesis.

Results: The database search, conducted in July 2024, identified 1145 records, which will be screened and analyzed in subsequent stages of the review process. This protocol outlines the planned approach for identifying, categorizing, and synthesizing evidence. The study findings are anticipated to be finalized and submitted for publication in a peer-reviewed journal by February 2025.

Conclusions: This study will synthesize the recent body of work on the psychosocial impact of assistive technologies for people with visual impairments and recommendations for researchers and designers interested in this research area.

Trial registration: Open Science Framework 10.17605/OSF.IO/SK7N8; https://osf.io/4gc5t.

International registered report identifier (irrid): DERR1-10.2196/65056.