Measurement Instruments for Executive Function and Instrumental Activities of Daily Living among Older Adults in Asia, with a Focus on Southeast Asia: A Scoping Review

This scoping review maps the available evidence on measurement instruments for executive function (EF) and/or instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) among older adults in Asia, with a particular focus on Southeast Asia (SEA). Population ageing is accelerating across the region, and early, accurate detection of cognitive and functional decline is a public-health priority; however, most widely used EF and IADL instruments were developed in Western contexts and the extent of their adaptation and validation for Asian older adults — especially in SEA — remains unclear. Following the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) methodology for scoping reviews and the PRISMA Extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR), systematic searches of PubMed/MEDLINE and Scopus (1 January 2020 to 2 July 2026, English-language peer-reviewed literature) will identify studies that develop, translate, cross-culturally adapt, or psychometrically evaluate an EF or IADL instrument in an Asian older-adult population. The Population–Concept–Context (PCC) framework structures eligibility: older adults (≥60 years); measurement instruments for EF and/or IADL; Asian settings, with emphasis on SEA. Two independent reviewers will screen titles/abstracts and full texts against pre-specified, coded eligibility criteria, chart data using a standardized, pilot-tested form guided by the COSMIN taxonomy of measurement properties, and synthesize findings narratively by instrument and construct characteristics, psychometric properties, and geographical distribution. Formal critical appraisal is not performed, consistent with JBI guidance for scoping reviews. Anticipated outcomes: a small, geographically concentrated evidence base skewed toward East Asia (China, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea), limited dedicated validation in SEA, an emerging but under-validated trend toward digital and performance-based functional-cognition instruments, and incomplete psychometric reporting relative to COSMIN standards. The review will identify priority gaps — particularly cross-cultural adaptation, local norming, measurement invariance, and digitally deliverable instruments for SEA populations — to guide future nursing and geriatric research and equitable dementia care. The protocol is registered on the Open Science Framework using the Generalized Systematic Review Registration Form (GSRRF v1.00; van den Akker et al., 2023) prior to executing the searches. Findings will be submitted to the Journal of Cross-Cultural Gerontology (Springer).