Technophobia Among Older Adults in the Context of Smart Healthcare: A Scoping Review.

OBJECTIVES

This scoping review synthesizes research on technophobia among older adults in smart healthcare, clarifying its assessment tools, prevalence, influencing factors, and interventions.

METHODS

Following Arksey and O'Malley's framework and PRISMA-ScR guidelines, we searched five English and four Chinese databases (inception to January 13, 2026). Eligibility followed the Population-Concept-Context framework, and two reviewers independently extracted data and assessed quality.

RESULTS

Thirty-five studies were included. Four validated scales (Technology Anxiety Scale [TAS], Technophobia Scale, TechPH, and Technophobia and Technophilia Questionnaire) and five self-developed scales were used; the TAS was most common but showed limited smart-healthcare specificity. Mean TAS scores across 22 studies ranged from 28.85 to 45.24 (range 13-65). Influencing factors fell into six domains: demographic, socioeconomic, health-related, psychological, social, and technology-use. Five intervention studies reported benefits but had short durations, limited follow-up, and underrepresented high-risk groups.

CONCLUSIONS

Technophobia is a prevalent psychological barrier to smart healthcare adoption among older adults. Current assessment tools lack context-specificity, and available interventions are limited in quality and generalizability.

CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: Frontline providers should routinely identify and address technophobia, both to improve adoption and to protect mental health, given its links with social isolation, depression, and reduced access to digital mental-health services.