Automated Evidence Synthesis of Cognitive Interventions in Older People Using the CogTale Platform: A Validation Study

Abstract

Advancing evidence-based medicine for aging-related interventions requires efficient and reliable methods for synthesising research findings. This study evaluates CogTale, an online platform designed to streamline evidence synthesis for cognition-oriented treatments (COTs) in older adults, by automating key aspects of meta-analysis. The platform’s performance was validated by replicating findings from three Cochrane Reviews of Cognition-oriented treatments (COTs) for older adults, cognitive training (CT), cognitive stimulation therapy (CST), and cognitive rehabilitation (CR). Key outcomes from the primary “Summary of Findings” tables were compared based on effect direction, confidence intervals, effect size magnitudes, and evidence certainty. Of the 67 studies analysed in the Cochrane Reviews, 61 were available for analysis in CogTale’s database. Using a lenient replication threshold, CogTale approximately replicated 16 of 18 outcomes (88.9%), while 11 outcomes (61.1%) met a more stringent threshold. Replication was most consistent for CST outcomes, with greater variability observed in CT and CR results due to data availability and methodological differences. These findings suggest that CogTale can approximately replicate high-quality SRMA results, particularly in CST, and demonstrate its potential as a scalable tool for aging research. CogTale demonstrates the potential to enhance efficiency and accessibility in evidence synthesis for aging-related interventions, offering researchers, clinicians, and policymakers a powerful tool for supporting evidence-based decision-making in dementia care. Further refinements are needed to optimise accuracy, particularly in addressing methodological discrepancies and ensuring data completeness.