Effectiveness of telehealth on the glycemic control of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus during the COVID-19 pandemic: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials

Abstract

Background: During the COVID-19 pandemic, telehealth was employed to enhance clinical outcomes for patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. However, the effectiveness of telehealth remains inconclusive. Objective: This study aimed to examine the impact of telehealth on the glycemic control of individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus during the pandemic. Design: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Setting: N/A Participants: A total of 669 studies was sourced from electronic databases, including EMBASE, PubMed, and Scopus. Among these, twelve randomized controlled trials, comprising 1498 participants, were included. Methods: A comprehensive search was performed in electronic databases. The quality of the included studies was assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool, and statistical heterogeneity was assessed using I² and Cochran's Q tests. A random-effects model was utilized to combine the outcomes. Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluations was used to evaluate the certainty of the evidence. Results: The meta-analysis showed that participants receiving a telehealth intervention achieved a greater reduction in the glycated haemoglobin (HbA1C) compared to those receiving usual care, with a weighted-mean difference of -0.59 (95 % CI -0.84 to -0.35, p < .001, I² = 74.1 %, high certainty of evidence). Additionally, participants receiving telehealth interventions experienced better secondary outcomes, including a reduction in fasting blood sugar (16.06 %, 95 %CI -29.64 to -2.48, p = .02, high certainty of evidence), a decrease in body mass index (1.5 %, 95 %CI -1.98 to -1.02, p < .001, high certainty of evidence), and a decrease in low-density lipoprotein (7.8 %, 95 %CI -14.69 to -0.88, p = .027, low certainty of evidence). Conclusions: In our review, we showed telehealth's positive impact on glycaemic control in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients. Healthcare professionals can use telehealth in diabetes care. Caution is needed due to heterogeneity of the results. Further research should explore the long-term impacts of telehealth interventions. Registration: The study was registered with PROSPERO, CRD42022381879.