Exploring the status of online social support for older adults with cancer: a scoping review protocol.

Abstract

The estimated number of new cases among older adults with cancer has been increasing. Considering the decrease in social networks as adults age, their need for social support is often unmet. Notably, an increasing number of older adults with cancer have access to social support through online technologies, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic, which heightened the need for online social support. Little is known, however, about the extent to which online social support for older people with cancer has developed. This scoping review aims to explore the developments in online social support for older adults with cancer. We will search PubMed, Elsevier Embase (including Medline) and EBSCO CINAHL Complete to identify eligible studies based on predefined criteria. Screening of articles and data extraction will be carried out independently by two reviewers, with conflicts resolved by a third reviewer. This scoping review will be based on the Arksey and O'Malley methodological framework with the extension proposed by Levac and colleagues. The review findings will be presented in a narrative analysis using tables. This protocol is registered on Open Science Framework at https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/Z9XJ7. No ethical approval is needed. The findings will be published in a peer-reviewed journal and presented at conferences.