The effects of telemedicine on the quality of life of patients with lung cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

Background and aims: Lung cancer patients suffer from deterioration in their physical and psychological function, which exerts a negative influence on their quality of life (QOL). Telemedicine has been proven to be an effective intervention for patients with several chronic diseases. The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to investigate the efficacy of telemedicine in improving QOL in lung cancer patients. Methods: PubMed, Cochrane Library, EMBASE, Web of Science and Scopus databases were searched for randomized controlled trials that investigated the effectiveness of telemedicine in lung cancer patients. Review Manager 5.3 and Stata 15.1 were used to perform data analysis. Results: Our meta-analysis included eight clinical trials with a total of 635 lung cancer patients. The results showed that the telemedicine group had significantly higher QOL than the usual care group [standard mean difference (SMD) 0.96, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.29–1.63, I2 = 91%]. In addition, the telemedicine group had lower anxiety (SMD −0.44, 95% CI −0.66 to −0.23, I2 = 3%) and depression scores (SMD −0.48, 95% CI −0.91 to −0.05, I2 = 66%) than the usual care group. However, no significant differences were found in fatigue and pain outcomes between the two groups. Conclusion: Telemedicine may be an effective method of improving QOL in lung cancer patients and the further development and use of telemedicine care is recommended.

A Scoping Review of Telenursing’s Potential as a Nursing Care Delivery Model in Lung Cancer During the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…The study’s findings revealed that patients in the telemedicine group had a significantly higher quality of life and less anxiety and depression than patients receiving regular care. 23 Telemedicine is one type of telehealth managed by doctors. This meta-analysis demonstrated the consistency of results from telehealth use, including telenursing, in improving quality of life and other positive effects.…”

Setting-Sensitive Conceptualization and Assessment of Quality of Life in Telemedical Care—Study Protocol of the Tele-QoL Project

“…In order to ensure high-quality healthcare in the future—especially in rural areas—various innovations have been developed in primary and secondary care that have integrated TM applications as a central component [ 24 ]. Recently, these TM applications have been the subject of many studies and reviews to investigate or prove their effectiveness [ 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 ]. While morbidity and clinical indicators have been defined as primary outcome indicators for TM applications in selected disease groups, such as chronic heart failure, QoL has been defined as a primary outcome indicator from patients’ perspective.…”

“…While morbidity and clinical indicators have been defined as primary outcome indicators for TM applications in selected disease groups, such as chronic heart failure, QoL has been defined as a primary outcome indicator from patients’ perspective. Reviews [ 12 , 25 ] have shown that it has not yet been possible to document the effect of telemonitoring on QoL, and the findings are inconsistent across specific clinical patient groups and different TM applications [ 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 ]. However, the effects of telemonitoring on the daily life of patients, as well as their QoL, well-being, and the subjective experience of control, appear to be considerable: they go beyond the intended health effects and also affect psychosocial and ethical aspects [ 13 , 26 ].…”

“…However, evidence-based attempts to evaluate the effectiveness of TM applications in improving QoL reveal ambiguous evidence. Although there is some documentation that using TM applications can improve QoL [ 4 ], many findings remain inconsistent [ 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 ]. As such, the reported effects are often not clinically relevant or statistically significant, and they also differ depending on the disease groups studied [ 13 , 14 ].…”

TEleRehabilitation Nepal (TERN) to improve quality of life of people with spinal cord injury and acquired brain injury. A proof-of-concept study

“…(25) Similarly, other RCTs found that cognitive behavior therapy delivered through telephone for 8 to 12 weeks significantly decreased patient reported symptoms (treatment effect = 0.36, 95% CI: 0.01-0.70; p = 0.043)(26) and decreased depression scores significantly at 6 months follow up (β =-.41,p=.018). (27)A meta-analysis showed that telemedicine was significantly effective to increase QoL among lung cancer patients [standard mean difference= 0.96, 95%, CI: 0.29-1.63] (28). Another study used a 12-Item Health Survey scale among veterans who were provided home based video physiotherapy that showed significant improvement in QoL after intervention (p = 0.02, r = 0.42).…”