Cited by 30Digital Mental Health InterventionsMobile Health and mHealth ApplicationsTelemedicine and Telehealth Implementation

Digital Interventions for Psychological Comorbidities in Chronic Diseases—A Systematic Review

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Maisto, Marta, Diana, Barbara, Di Tella, Sonia, Matamala-Gomez, Marta, Montana, Jessica Isbely, Rossetto, Federica, Mavrodiev, Petar Aleksandrov, Cavalera, Cesare +4 more·2021·Journal of Personalized Medicine

Abstract

Chronic diseases represent one of the main causes of death worldwide. The integration of digital solutions in clinical interventions is broadly diffused today; however, evidence on their efficacy in addressing psychological comorbidities of chronic diseases is sparse. This systematic review analyzes and synthesizes the evidence about the efficacy of digital interventions on psychological comorbidities outcomes of specific chronic diseases. According to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, a systematic search of PubMed, PsycInfo, Scopus and Web of Science databases was conducted. Only Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs) were considered and either depression or anxiety had to be assessed to match the selection criteria. Of the 7636 identified records, 17 matched the inclusion criteria: 9 digital interventions on diabetes, 4 on cardiovascular diseases, 3 on Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and one on stroke. Of the 17 studies reviewed, 14 found digital interventions to be effective. Quantitative synthesis highlighted a moderate and significant overall effect of interventions on depression, while the effect on anxiety was small and non-significant. Design elements making digital interventions effective for psychological comorbidities of chronic diseases were singled out: (a) implementing a communication loop with patients and (b) providing disease-specific digital contents. This focus on “how” to design technologies can facilitate the translation of evidence into practice.

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  1. [85]WHO Guideline: Recommendations on Digital Interventions for Health System Strengthening World Health Organization Geneva, Switzerlands 2019 Licence: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO 31162915

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Authors
Maisto, M., Diana, B., Di Tella, S., Matamala-Gomez, M., Montana, J. I., Rossetto, F., Mavrodiev, P. A., Cavalera, C., Blasi, V., Mantovani, F., Baglio, F., & Realdon, O.
Affiliations
  • University of Milano-Bicocca (IT)
  • IRCCS Fondazione don Carlo Gnocchi ONLUS, Via Capecelatro 66, 20148 Milan, Italy
  • Don Carlo Gnocchi Foundation (IT)
  • Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore (IT)
Corresponding author
Realdon, Olivia
Venue
Journal of Personalized Medicine
Publisher
MDPI AG
Published
2021-01-06
Volume
11
Issue
1
Pages
30
ISSN
2075-4426 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W3119209973
Cited by
30
References
87
Citations by year
2026: 5 · 2025: 5 · 2024: 3 · 2023: 9 · 2022: 3 · 2021: 5
FWCI
0.80
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Journal of Personalized Medicine (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, other-oa)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • BOA (University of Milano-Bicocca) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
  • PubliCatt (Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
Funders
Regione Lombardia (Project ID: 232549)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Applied Psychology › Digital Mental Health Interventions
  • Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Mobile Health and mHealth Applications
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Telemedicine and Telehealth Implementation
Keywords
digital interventions, psychological comorbidity, chronic disease, depression, anxiety, diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, stroke, patient communication, technology design, digital health

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