Impact of virtual care on health-related quality of life in children with diabetes mellitus: a systematic review protocol

INTRODUCTION: Diabetes mellitus is the most common endocrine disorder in children, and the prevalence of paediatric type 1 and type 2 diabetes continue to rise globally. Diabetes clinical care programs pivoted to virtual care with the COVID-19 pandemic-driven social distancing measures. Yet, the impact of virtual care on health-related quality of life in children living with diabetes remains unclear. This protocol reports on the methods that will be implemented to conduct a systematic review to assess the health-related quality of life and metabolic health impacts of virtual diabetes care. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: We will search MEDLINE, Embase, EMCare, PsycInfo, Web of Science, and the grey literature for eligible studies. We will screen title, abstract, and full-text papers for potential inclusion and assess the risk of bias and the overall confidence in the evidence using the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) approach. A meta-analysis will be conducted if two studies report similar populations, study designs, methods, and outcomes. This systematic review will summarise the health-related quality of life outcomes for virtual diabetes care delivery models. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: No ethics approval is required for this systematic review protocol as it does not include patient data. The systematic review will be published in a peer-reviewed journal and presented at international conferences. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42021235646.