Family and informal caregivers' acceptance, concerns and expectations regarding artificial intelligence-enabled dementia care: a protocol for qualitative evidence synthesis.

INTRODUCTION

Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly being integrated into dementia care to support assessment, monitoring, decision-making and personalized care. However, the successful implementation of AI-enabled dementia care depends not only on technological capabilities but also on the acceptance, trust and engagement of family and informal caregivers. Existing qualitative evidence remains fragmented and has not comprehensively synthesized caregivers' perspectives regarding AI-enabled dementia care. This qualitative evidence synthesis aims to address this gap by exploring caregivers' acceptance, concerns and expectations.

METHODS AND ANALYSIS: This qualitative evidence synthesis will be conducted in accordance with the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) methodology for qualitative systematic reviews and reported following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Protocols (PRISMA-P) statement. Studies will be identified through systematic searches of PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, PsycINFO and Web of Science from database inception to December 2026. Qualitative and mixed-methods studies exploring family and informal caregivers' perspectives, experiences, acceptance, concerns or expectations regarding AI-enabled dementia care will be included. Study selection and methodological quality appraisal using the JBI Critical Appraisal Checklist for Qualitative Research will be conducted independently by two reviewers. Data will be extracted using a predefined form and synthesized using Thomas and Harden's thematic synthesis approach. Confidence in the review findings will be assessed using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation-Confidence in the Evidence from Reviews of Qualitative Research (GRADE-CERQual) approach.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Ethical approval is not required. Findings will be disseminated through peer-reviewed publication.

TRIAL REGISTRATION: PROSPERO registration number: CRD420261470957.