Systematic Review of Evidence on the Use of Synchronous Virtual Communication in Adult Social Care: Experiences of Individuals With Social Care Needs and Their Carers.

Background: The increased use of digital technologies in adult social care is a growing priority for governments globally. This includes the use of information and communication technologies by social care professionals to communicate with adults with social care needs. As part of this, synchronous...

Descripción completa

Detalles Bibliográficos
Publicado en:Health & Social Care in the Community Vol. 2026; pp. 1 - 15
Autores principales: Dodd, Christopher, Turnpenny, Agnes, Coe, Shelly, Baker, Helen, Davies, Emma, Gardam, Jonathan, Havord, Fiona, Maddison, Charlotte, Schutz, Sue, Waite, Marion, Kozlowska, Olga, Chen, Qing-Wei
Formato: research systematic review tables/charts Journal Article
Publicado: Wiley-Blackwell 7/23/2026
Acceso en línea:Ver este registro en EBSCOhost
fields @attributes:
  recordID: 1
pdfLink:
plink: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ccm&AN=195594265&site=ehost-live
header:
  @attributes:
    shortDbName: ccm
    uiTerm: 195594265
    longDbName: CINAHL Complete
    uiTag: AN
  controlInfo:
    bkinfo:
    dissinfo:
    jinfo:
      jid:
        09660410
        EVX
      jtl: Health & Social Care in the Community
      issn: 09660410
      maglogo: Y
    pubinfo:
      dt: 7/23/2026
      vid: 2026
      pid: 480
      pub: Wiley-Blackwell
      place: Malden, Massachusetts
    artinfo:
      ui:
        195594265
        195594265
        195594265
        10.1155/hsc/8622670
        195594265
      ppf: 1
      ppct: 14
      formats:
        fmt:
          – @attributes:
              type: T
          – @attributes:
              type: C
          – @attributes:
              type: P
      tig:
        atl: Systematic Review of Evidence on the Use of Synchronous Virtual Communication in Adult Social Care: Experiences of Individuals With Social Care Needs and Their Carers.
      aug:
        au:
          Dodd, Christopher
          Turnpenny, Agnes
          Coe, Shelly
          Baker, Helen
          Davies, Emma
          Gardam, Jonathan
          Havord, Fiona
          Maddison, Charlotte
          Schutz, Sue
          Waite, Marion
          Kozlowska, Olga
          Chen, Qing-Wei
        affil: Oxford Institute of Applied Health Research,, Oxford Brookes University,, Oxford, UK, brookes.ac.uk
      sug:
        subj:
          Communication Methods
          Health Services Needs and Demand
          Health Services Accessibility
          Caregiver Attitudes
          Patient Attitudes
          Telemedicine Utilization
          Social Work Service
          Human
          Systematic Review
          PubMed
          CINAHL Database
          Gray Literature
          Checklists
          Thematic Analysis
          Funding Source
          Caregivers
          Social Workers
          Adult
          United Kingdom
          United States
          Canada
          Hong Kong
          Support, Psychosocial
          Videoconferencing
          Telephone
          Adult: 19-44 years
      ab: Background: The increased use of digital technologies in adult social care is a growing priority for governments globally. This includes the use of information and communication technologies by social care professionals to communicate with adults with social care needs. As part of this, synchronous virtual communication can be used by individuals to access social care services. This systematic review and narrative synthesis of the international literature explored individuals' experiences accessing services using synchronous virtual communication. Methods: Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta‐Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines were followed to systematically search for studies reporting on experiences of adults with social care needs using synchronous virtual communication to interact with social care. Systematic searches were conducted across PubMed, CINAHL, SCIE and Social Services Abstracts to identify literature published between January 2020 and November 2024. Google and Google Scholar were searched for the grey literature. The quality appraisal of the included literature was conducted using the appropriate Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP) checklist. Themes and subthemes were identified in the process of narrative synthesis. Results: Out of 6172 screened abstracts, 18 articles were selected for inclusion. The narrative synthesis led to the identification of both 'digital exclusion' and 'digital inclusion', as well as subthemes that explain these phenomena. These included evidence of exclusion due to a 'lack of availability', 'lack of capacity' and 'security concerns', and evidence of inclusion due to 'the adaptability of social care' and the 'positive individual experiences' of some adults. Limitations: Studies often grouped social care together with health care, so it was not always possible to know that the extracted data spoke directly to our research question. Conclusion: The roll‐out of synchronous virtual communication within adult social care excluded some individuals but also benefited others, suggesting that a nuanced approach is required to ensure equitable access.
      pubtype: Academic Journal
      doctype:
        research
        systematic review
        tables/charts
        Journal Article
      ougenre: Article
    language: English
    refInfo:
    holdings:
      @attributes:
        islocal: N