JMIR Res Protoc. 2026 Jul 21;15:e88198. doi: 10.2196/88198.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Patient navigation is a critical component of health care delivery, facilitating connections with appropriate services. A new era of virtual navigation systems has emerged, with systems that can be accessed through websites or smartphone apps. However, it is unknown which features of these novel systems impact patient outcomes.
OBJECTIVE: The objective of this scoping review is to understand the current landscape of existing virtual navigation systems. In this review, we will determine the features of these systems, as well as the patient outcomes and accessibility barriers associated with them that have been reported in the literature.
METHODS: This review will follow the guidelines for scoping reviews outlined by the Joanna Briggs Institute methodology. This will include systems that provide recommendations for health care, mental health and addiction services, and social services. This will include systems designed for patients, caregivers, and/or care providers. A search strategy will be used to locate both published and unpublished literature. The databases to be searched include PubMed, PsycINFO (ProQuest), Cochrane Library, Web of Science Core Collection (Clarivate), Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature (EBSCO), ScienceDirect, IEEE Xplore, and ACM Digital Library. Papers will be screened and selected, and data will be extracted by 2 independent members of the research team. The extracted data will primarily focus on outcomes and features of the virtual navigation systems. This will include the information they ask of users and the content and format of the information on services they provide.
RESULTS: Funding for this project was received in May 2024. As of June 2026, abstract and full-text screening have been completed, data extraction is underway, and data analysis has not begun yet. Our search resulted in the retrieval of 14,461 studies that were eligible for screening. We anticipate that the full scoping review manuscript will be prepared for submission by winter 2027. Results will be presented in tabular format and accompanied by a narrative summary.
CONCLUSIONS: This review will synthesize the current literature on virtual navigation systems that aim to connect patients to appropriate health care services. By identifying trends and gaps, this review will provide critical information for the development of new and innovative systems that can support health care and public health systems.
PMID:42480026 | DOI:10.2196/88198