Technologically assisted interventions for neurological and psychological applied outcomes : a scoping review

Abstract

Technologically assisted interventions offer significant opportunities for treating various psychological and neurological symptoms and disorders. This may improve learning experiences, social interactions, and assist patient rehabilitation. This study explored primary research on these interventions in South Africa from 2006 to 2021. Using specific inclusion and exclusion criteria and the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews search strategy, 14 databases were searched, resulting in 13 studies reviewed. Five trends (geographic location, year of publication, sample size, modality of technologically assisted intervention, medium of mHealth intervention, and treatment support) and five themes (technological efficacy, adoption, accessibility, and barriers, ethical considerations in digital interventions, community support, emotional connection, and psychological meaning, and gratitude hope) emerged following a thematic analysis of the reviewed studies. The importance of understanding healthcare system limitations is underscored by the national focus on the Fourth Industrial Revolution, the burden of disease, and health inequalities in rural or smaller urban areas that lack specialists. This study provides an overview of the South African landscape of technologically assisted interventions in psychological and neurological applied areas, and highlights the trends and themes that have emerged. It also provides a foundation for further research on the potential of technologically assisted interventions to enhance South Africa’s healthcare outcomes.