Clinical Improvements by Telemedicine Interventions Managing Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes: Systematic Meta-review (Preprint)
Authors: Eberle Claudia , Stichling Stefanie 
Published: August 2020

BACKGROUND

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is one of the world’s greatest health threats with rising prevalence. Global digitalization leads to new digital approaches in diabetes management, such as telemedical interventions. Telemedicine, which is the use of information and communication technologies, may provide medical services over spatial distances to improve clinical patient outcomes by increasing access to diabetes care and medical information.

OBJECTIVE

This study aims to examine whether telemedical interventions effectively improve diabetes control using studies that pooled patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), and whether the benefits are greater in patients diagnosed with T2DM than in those diagnosed with T1DM. We analyzed the primary outcome glycated hemoglobin A<sub>1c</sub> (HbA<sub>1c</sub>) and the secondary outcomes fasting blood glucose (FBG), blood pressure (BP), body weight, BMI, quality of life (QoL), cost, and time saving.

METHODS

Publications were systematically identified by searching Cochrane Library, MEDLINE via PubMed, Web of Science Core Collection, Embase, and CINAHL databases for studies published between January 2008 and April 2020, considering systematic reviews (SRs), meta-analyses (MAs), randomized controlled trials (RCTs), and clinical trials (CTs). Study quality was assessed using the <i>A Measurement Tool to Assess Systematic Reviews</i>, <i>Effective Public Health Practice Project</i>, and <i>National Institute for Health and Care Excellence</i> qualitative checklist. We organized the trials by communication technologies in <i>real-time video or audio interventions</i>, <i>asynchronous interventions</i>, and <i>combined interventions</i> (synchronous and asynchronous communication).

RESULTS

From 1116 unique citations, we identified 31 eligible studies (n=15 high, n=14 moderate, n=1 weak, and n=1 critically low quality). We selected 21 SRs and MAs, 8 RCTs, 1 non-RCT, and 1 qualitative study. Of the 10 trials, 3 were categorized as <i>real-time video</i>, 1 as <i>real-time video and audio</i>, 4 as <i>asynchronous</i>, and 2 as <i>combined</i> intervention. Significant decline in HbA<sub>1c</sub> levels based on pooled T1DM and T2DM patients data ranged from −0.22% weighted mean difference (WMD; 95% CI −0.28 to −0.15; <i>P</i><.001) to −0.64% mean difference (95% CI −1.01 to −0.26; <i>P</i><.001). The intervention effect on lowering HbA<sub>1c</sub> values might be significantly smaller for patients with T1DM than for patients with T2DM. Evidence on the impact on BP, body weight, FBG, cost effectiveness, and time saving was smaller compared with HbA<sub>1c</sub> but indicated potential in some publications.

CONCLUSIONS

Telemedical interventions might be clinically effective in improving diabetes control overall, and they might significantly improve HbA<sub>1c</sub> concentrations. Patients with T2DM could benefit more than patients with T1DM regarding lowering HbA<sub>1c</sub> levels. Further studies with longer duration and larger cohorts are necessary.