Effectiveness of Telemedicine Solutions for the Management of Patients With Diabetes: Protocol for a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

BACKGROUND: Telemedicine is often suggested as a promising approach to support patients with diabetes. However, the effectiveness of diabetes-related telemedicine interventions in regard to patient-related outcomes requires further evaluation. Previous systematic reviews describing the effectiveness of telemedicine in diabetes management focus on a specific type of telemedicine, a specific type of diabetes, specific comparators, or specific outcomes. Moreover, the rapid development within telemedicine emphasizes the need for a new review. OBJECTIVE: The present review has a broad scope with an eye to performing an updated and exhaustive review within the field. The review aims to evaluate the effectiveness of existing telemedicine solutions versus any comparator without the use of telemedicine on diabetes-related outcomes among adult patients with diabetes. METHODS: The review will consider studies that include adult subjects with a diagnosis of diabetes (type 1, 2, or gestational), studies that evaluate various types of telemedicine interventions, and randomized controlled trials comparing a telemedicine intervention to any control that does not include telemedicine. Peer-reviewed full-text papers in English, Norwegian, Danish, and Swedish will be considered. A thorough search will be performed in the PubMed, CINAHL, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) databases. Data extraction will include details about the populations, study methods, interventions, and outcomes of significance based on the review objective. RESULTS: The results of the review are expected to provide an estimate of the treatment effect. The studies will be pooled via statistical meta-analysis and supplemented with narrative comparisons when necessary. CONCLUSIONS: The review is important as it will inform clinicians and investigators about the effect of various telemedicine solutions within the field of diabetes. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID): DERR1-10.2196/22062