DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0352714 ISSN: 1932-6203

Digital and technology‑enabled approaches for post‑stroke fatigue: A scoping review protocol

Xiangdong Huang, Jiangmei Xu, Lingmin Wang, Shiting Huang, Xiaoping Zhu

Background

Post‑stroke fatigue (PSF) affects approximately 50% of stroke survivors and is one of the most common and disabling post‑stroke sequelae. Digital and technology‑enabled approaches have attracted increasing attention in the field of stroke rehabilitation, including mobile health applications (mHealth), wearable devices, virtual reality (VR), remote rehabilitation, artificial intelligence (AI), and neuromodulation technologies. However, no comprehensive scoping review has systematically mapped the full spectrum of evidence on digital and technology‑enabled approaches for PSF.

Methods

This scoping review will follow the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) methodology for scoping reviews, be guided by the Population, Concept, Context (PCC) framework, and be reported according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta‑Analysis Protocols (PRISMA‑P) and the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta‑Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA‑ScR). Eight electronic databases (PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, CINAHL, Cochrane CENTRAL, IEEE Xplore, ACM Digital Library, and PsycINFO) and five gray literature sources (OpenGrey, ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global, ClinicalTrials.gov, the World Health Organization International Clinical Trials Registry Platform, and Google Scholar) will be searched. Two reviewers will use NoteExpress to remove duplicates and manage references, and will independently screen titles, abstracts, and full texts. After pilot testing, data will be extracted independently by the two reviewers. Synthesis will involve descriptive numerical summaries and inductive qualitative content analysis. Inter‑rater agreement will be assessed during a calibration phase. The expected output is an evidence map organized by approach category and purpose (assessment, monitoring, prevention, and treatment), which will identify knowledge gaps and guide future research.

Registration

This protocol has been registered on the Open Science Framework (OSF). Registration DOI ( https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/4WMEK ).

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