Cited by 162Telemedicine and Telehealth ImplementationDiabetes Management and EducationMobile Health and mHealth Applications

The impact of telehealth remote patient monitoring on glycemic control in type 2 diabetes: a systematic review and meta-analysis of systematic reviews of randomised controlled trials

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Lee, Puikwan A., Greenfield, Geva, Pappas, Yannis·2018·BMC Health Services Research

Abstract

BACKGROUND: There is a growing body of evidence to support the use of telehealth in monitoring HbA1c levels in people living with type 2 diabetes. However, the overall magnitude of effect is yet unclear due to variable results reported in existing systematic reviews. The objective of this study is to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis of systematic reviews of randomised controlled trials to create an evidence-base for the effectiveness of telehealth interventions on glycemic control in adults with type 2 diabetes. METHODS: Electronic databases including The Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, EMBASE, HMIC, and PsychINFO were searched to identify relevant systematic reviews published between 1990 and April 2016, supplemented by references search from the relevant reviews. Two independent reviewers selected and reviewed the eligible studies. Of the 3279 references retrieved, 4 systematic reviews reporting in total 29 unique studies relevant to our review were included. Both conventional pairwise meta-analyses and network meta-analyses were performed. RESULTS: Evidence from pooling four systematic reviews found that telehealth interventions produced a small but significant improvement in HbA1c levels compared with usual care (MD: -0.55, 95% CI: -0.73 to - 0.36). The greatest effect was seen in telephone-delivered interventions, followed by Internet blood glucose monitoring system interventions and lastly interventions involving automatic transmission of SMBG using a mobile phone or a telehealth unit. CONCLUSION: Current evidence suggests that telehealth is effective in controlling HbA1c levels in people living with type 2 diabetes. However there is need for better quality primary studies as well as systematic reviews of RCTs in order to confidently conclude on the impact of telehealth on glycemic control in type 2 diabetes.

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Authors
Lee, P. A., Greenfield, G., & Pappas, Y.
Affiliations
  • Imperial College London (GB)
  • University of Bedfordshire (GB)
Corresponding author
Lee, Puikwan A.
Venue
BMC Health Services Research
Published
2018-06-26
Volume
18
Issue
1
Pages
495-495
ISSN
1472-6963 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2810382483
Cited by
162
References
17
Citations by year
2026: 12 · 2025: 19 · 2024: 19 · 2023: 21 · 2022: 37 · 2021: 25 · 2020: 21 · 2019: 6 · 2018: 2
FWCI
2.45
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • BMC Health Services Research (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, other-oa)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion)
  • Spiral (Imperial College London) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • University of Bedfordshire Repository (University of Bedfordshire) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
Funders
  • National Institute for Health and Care Research
  • Department of Health and Social Care
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Telemedicine and Telehealth Implementation
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism › Diabetes Management and Education
  • Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Mobile Health and mHealth Applications
Keywords
telemedicine, remote patient monitoring, type 2 diabetes, glycemic control, HbA1c, telephone-delivered intervention, self-monitoring of blood glucose
MeSH terms
Systematic Reviews as Topic, Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2, Glycated Hemoglobin, Humans, Blood Glucose Self-Monitoring, Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic, Telemedicine, Evidence-Based Medicine, Internet, Qualitative Research, Cell Phone

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