JMIR Research Protocols

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is an intermediate state between normal cognitive aging and dementia, with a global geriatric prevalence of 23.7%. Multisensory stimulation (MSS) has emerged as a promising approach to improve cognitive impairment. However, relevant research is heterogeneous, and the evidence has not yet been systematically synthesized.

A series of studies suggests that immersive virtual reality (IVR) can enhance perspective-taking and behavioral change by simulating real-world scenarios experienced from different points of view. IVR has emerged as a promising tool for the prevention of gender-based violence, including sexual harassment. However, evidence on the effectiveness of first-person embodiment–based interventions in fostering empathy and modifying gender-related attitudes remains limited.

Eligibility criteria are essential to clinical trial design, guiding recruitment, and ensuring patient safety and scientific rigor. However, criteria are often lengthy, heterogeneous, and inconsistently formatted, which hinders large-scale interpretation and slows patient-trial matching. Manual review is time-consuming and error-prone. Advances in natural language processing and large language models (LLMs) offer opportunities to standardize and analyze eligibility text at scale.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) screening participation in Canada is lower than the national target, and interventions designed to increase screening participation are generally expensive and have limited impact. Social media can be used as an innovative strategy to increase participation in cancer screening, particularly Facebook (FB), as it is the most popular social media platform for the population eligible for CRC screening.

Neighborhood revitalization is a process through which land use rezoning and capital investment can spur new resources, such as access to healthful food and amenities for physical activity. While revitalization efforts may promote cardiovascular health, their benefits may not be distributed equally across sociodemographic groups.

Artificial intelligence (AI), including large language models (LLMs), is increasingly integrated into systematic review (SR) workflows. AI tools may accelerate searching, screening, data extraction, and reporting, but their effects on methodological quality, reporting completeness, transparency, and reproducibility remain uncertain. Existing evaluations largely examine isolated tasks, and inconsistent disclosure of AI use limits reproducibility and oversight.

Visual impairment affects approximately 2.2 billion people worldwide and has significant impacts on various aspects of life, including physical, social, economic, and emotional domains. Assessing the quality of life of these individuals is essential for identifying their needs and guiding health promotion strategies. However, no studies were found that systematically cataloged the instruments used for this evaluation specifically for people with visual impairment.

Inflammatory ocular diseases (IODs) are frequently associated with multisystem autoimmune conditions and can lead to substantial visual morbidity, including visual impairment and blindness. Emerging evidence suggests that inflammation contributes to the development of depression and other mental health disorders. Individuals with childhood-onset IOD may be at increased risk of poor mental health outcomes and quality of life. However, the prevalence of mental health conditions in this population remains unclear.

Advances in cancer treatment have improved survival rates; however, patients continue to experience significant treatment-related side effects, leading to reduced quality of life. Prehabilitation is an intervention that occurs before treatment and can improve patients’ functional capacity, recovery, and well-being through exercise, nutrition, and psychological support. Typical hospital-based prehabilitation is not accessible to all patients due to geographical, socioeconomic, and time-related barriers. Technology-based approaches, including eHealth and mobile health (mHealth) interventions, may overcome these barriers by enabling remote, patient-centered delivery. However, the current evidence base is heterogeneous and lacks synthesis regarding feasibility, acceptability, and outcomes.

Literature has shown an increase in research relating to autism and aging, and more specifically, autism and healthy aging. Within the literature, there is a clear lack of knowledge and understanding of the impacts of dementia and autism as co-occurring experiences. More specifically, there is a lack of clinical knowledge about the ways in which the cognitive profiles of autism and dementia do and do not overlap, and how this overlap might affect dementia assessments for this population. This is likely to result in challenges with diagnosis and may lead to misdiagnosis or a lack of diagnosis for the autistic population.

Malnutrition is a common and serious complication among patients undergoing peritoneal dialysis (PD), leading to poor clinical outcomes, reduced quality of life, and increased mortality. Although current renal dietary guidelines emphasize adequate protein intake, they are predominantly animal based and may exacerbate inflammation and metabolic complications. Emerging evidence suggests that plant-focused diets can improve nutritional and inflammatory profiles without raising serum potassium levels. Increased plant consumption has also been associated with better metabolic control, reduced inflammation, and improved bowel function in patients undergoing PD. However, randomized controlled trials remain limited, and the effectiveness of such diets in malnourished patients undergoing PD is unclear. Hence, further investigation is required to evaluate the efficacy and safety of a plant-focused diet to inform evidence-based dietary recommendations in this population.

Neuromuscular activation disorders are frequently observed in patients with musculoskeletal pain and may contribute to persistent symptoms and delayed functional recovery. Neurocognitive approaches combining mindfulness and motor imagery have been proposed to target central mechanisms involved in motor control and pain modulation. Digital health tools offer an opportunity to standardize and disseminate such interventions in real-world settings.