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Telemedicine in rheumatology care: A systematic review.
Jackson, Lesley E; Edgil, Timothy A; Hill, Brittany; Owensby, Justin K; Smith, Catherine H; Singh, Jasvinder A; Danila, Maria I.
  • Jackson LE; Division of Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA.
  • Edgil TA; Division of General Internal Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA.
  • Hill B; Department of Internal Medicine Brookwood Baptist Health, Birmingham, AL, USA.
  • Owensby JK; Division of Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA.
  • Smith CH; Lister Hill Library of the Health Sciences, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA.
  • Singh JA; Division of Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA; Geriatric Research, Education, and Clinical Center, Birmingham VA Medical Center, Birmingham, AL, USA; Department of Epidemiology at the UAB School of Public Health, Birmingham, AL, USA.
  • Danila MI; Division of Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA; Geriatric Research, Education, and Clinical Center, Birmingham VA Medical Center, Birmingham, AL, USA. Electronic address: mdanila@uabmc.edu.
Semin Arthritis Rheum ; 56: 152045, 2022 10.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-2264234
ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE:

The COVID-19 pandemic led to a sudden uptake of telemedicine in rheumatology. We analyzed the recent published literature on telemedicine for the diagnosis and management of inflammatory, non-inflammatory and/or autoimmune rheumatic diseases.

METHODS:

We performed a registered systematic search (CRD42020202063) for interventional or observational studies published between August 2015 and January 2022. We included studies of telemedicine that reported outcomes (e.g., satisfaction, disease activity, quality of life) in ten or more people with rheumatic disease. Reviewers screened manuscripts, extracted data, and assessed bias.

RESULTS:

Of the 2,988 potentially eligible studies, 36 reports were included 27 observational studies, 7 randomized clinical trials, and 2 controlled clinical trials. Studies focused on general rheumatology (n = 18), rheumatoid arthritis (n = 9), gout (n = 3), osteoarthritis (n = 2), unspecified inflammatory arthritis (n = 1), osteoporosis (n = 2), and systemic lupus erythematosus (n = 1). Patient satisfaction with telemedicine was the most common reported outcome (n = 23) with majority of studies demonstrating high levels of satisfaction. Among interventional studies, the effect of telemedicine on the primary outcomes varied, with most finding that telemedicine was as good as usual / in-person care for disease activity control, patient satisfaction, total societal costs, and other patient reported outcomes. Effectiveness and feasibility were high across studies, though most demonstrated a high risk of bias. Meta-analysis was not feasible given the heterogeneity of interventions and outcome instruments utilized.

CONCLUSION:

Although the number of studies to date is low, telemedicine may be an effective mode to deliver care for people with rheumatic diseases. Most studies demonstrated limitations due to study design and risk of bias. Randomized clinical studies are needed to determine best uses of telemedicine for the diagnosis and management of rheumatic conditions.
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Full text: Available Collection: International databases Database: MEDLINE Main subject: Rheumatology / Autoimmune Diseases / Rheumatic Diseases / Telemedicine / COVID-19 Type of study: Diagnostic study / Experimental Studies / Observational study / Prognostic study / Randomized controlled trials / Reviews / Systematic review/Meta Analysis Limits: Humans Language: English Journal: Semin Arthritis Rheum Year: 2022 Document Type: Article Affiliation country: J.semarthrit.2022.152045

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Full text: Available Collection: International databases Database: MEDLINE Main subject: Rheumatology / Autoimmune Diseases / Rheumatic Diseases / Telemedicine / COVID-19 Type of study: Diagnostic study / Experimental Studies / Observational study / Prognostic study / Randomized controlled trials / Reviews / Systematic review/Meta Analysis Limits: Humans Language: English Journal: Semin Arthritis Rheum Year: 2022 Document Type: Article Affiliation country: J.semarthrit.2022.152045