Effect of online interventions on reducing anxiety and depression for women with breast cancer: a systematic review and network meta-analysis protocol

INTRODUCTION: Breast cancer has becoming the most common malignancy in women globally. Various online interventions have been conducted to help women with breast cancer to manage their psychological symptoms. However, there has been not yet a network meta-analysis that has synthesised scientific evidence about online intervention on reducing anxiety and depression for women with breast cancer. To fill the literature gap, this protocol aims to generate a systematic review and network meta-analysis to assess the effectiveness of online interventions on reducing anxiety and depression for these women with breast cancer. The study results may inform the recommendations for clinical guidelines and facilitate the decision-making process to improve psychological health of women with breast cancer. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: The protocol is in compliance with the guideline of Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis Protocols and for Systematic Reviews and Network Meta-Analysis. The electronic databases of Pubmed, EMBASE, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Web of Science, Cochrane Central Registry of Controlled Trials and OpenGrey will be used for searching of related randomised controlled trials from their inception. No restrictions on publication date and language will be applied. The primary outcomes are the symptoms of anxiety and depression, and the secondary outcome is the satisfaction with the received healthcare. Two reviewers independently evaluate the risk of bias using the Cochrane Collaboration’s Risk of Bias tool. The assessment of heterogeneity, inconsistency, subgroup analysis, sensitivity analysis and publication bias will be conducted. The netmeta package of R software will be used to perform the network meta-analysis. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: This study will be based on previous research findings, so that ethics approval is not required. Data searching commences in July 2023 and expects to complete in January, 2024. The findings will be disseminated through peer-reviewed journals and academic conferences. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42022318530.