The association between telemedicine and patient outcomes in osteoarthritis and inflammatory arthritis: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.
- 1Second Clinical Medical College, Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Fuzhou, Fujian, China.
- 2School of Public Health, Hainan Medical University, Haikou, Hainan, China.
- 3Department of Rheumatology and Endocrinology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Fuzhou, Fujian, China.
Abstract
Osteoarthritis (OA) and inflammatory arthritis (IA) are prevalent chronic musculoskeletal disorders that cause persistent pain, functional impairment, and reduced quality of life. Telemedicine offers a potential strategy for long-term arthritis management, but the strength of the supporting evidence remains uncertain. This systematic review and meta-analysis evaluated the efficacy of telemedicine interventions in patients with OA and IA. We searched PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, and WHO ICTRP up to 10 July 2026 for randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Two reviewers independently conducted study selection, data extraction, and risk-of-bias assessment using the RoB 2.0 tool. Random-effects meta-analysis was performed to calculate standardized mean differences (SMDs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) and 95% prediction intervals (PIs). The certainty of evidence was rated using the GRADE framework. Twenty-four RCTs enrolling 2,262 patients (1,568 with OA and 694 with IA) were included. Telemedicine was associated with improvements in pain (SMD = -0.66, 95% CI -1.00 to -0.32; 95% PI -1.90 to 0.58), quality of life (SMD = 0.42, 95% CI 0.12 to 0.71; 95% PI -0.60 to 1.44), WOMAC scores (SMD = -0.78, 95% CI -1.19 to -0.37; 95% PI -2.25 to 0.69), and self-efficacy (SMD = 0.47, 95% CI 0.06 to 0.89; 95% PI -1.04 to 1.98). All primary outcomes showed substantial heterogeneity (I2 > 75%), with 95% PIs that spanned the null value, indicating that the true effect in future studies could be zero or even negative. The self-efficacy finding lacked robustness in leave-one-out sensitivity analyses and was susceptible to the influence of individual studies. Evidence for IA was restricted to a small number of trials on rheumatoid arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis, and the overall certainty of evidence was rated very low to low. Current evidence suggests an association between telemedicine and improved outcomes in arthritis, but these findings are exploratory and limited by low evidence certainty, marked heterogeneity, and wide prediction intervals. Evidence for IA is insufficient to draw definitive conclusions. https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/view/CRD420261401824, PROSPERO CRD420261401824.
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BibTeX
@article{zhang2026association,
title = {{The association between telemedicine and patient outcomes in osteoarthritis and inflammatory arthritis: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.}},
author = {Yize Zhang and Meijie Zhou and Fangzhen Wu and Yanfen Guo and Xiaorong Lin and Zhongwen Zhao},
journal = {Frontiers in medicine},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3389/fmed.2026.1897145},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42953260},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - The association between telemedicine and patient outcomes in osteoarthritis and inflammatory arthritis: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.
AU - Yize Zhang
AU - Meijie Zhou
AU - Fangzhen Wu
AU - Yanfen Guo
AU - Xiaorong Lin
AU - Zhongwen Zhao
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/14
JO - Frontiers in medicine
DO - 10.3389/fmed.2026.1897145
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42953260
AB - Osteoarthritis (OA) and inflammatory arthritis (IA) are prevalent chronic musculoskeletal disorders that cause persistent pain, functional impairment, and reduced quality of life. Telemedicine offers a potential strategy for long-term arthritis management, but the strength of the supporting evidence remains uncertain. This systematic review and meta-analysis evaluated the efficacy of telemedicine interventions in patients with OA and IA. We searched PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, and WHO ICTRP up to 10 July 2026 for randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Two reviewers independently conducted study selection, data extraction, and risk-of-bias assessment using the RoB 2.0 tool. Random-effects meta-analysis was performed to calculate standardized mean differences (SMDs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) and 95% prediction intervals (PIs). The certainty of evidence was rated using the GRADE framework. Twenty-four RCTs enrolling 2,262 patients (1,568 with OA and 694 with IA) were included. Telemedicine was associated with improvements in pain (SMD = -0.66, 95% CI -1.00 to -0.32; 95% PI -1.90 to 0.58), quality of life (SMD = 0.42, 95% CI 0.12 to 0.71; 95% PI -0.60 to 1.44), WOMAC scores (SMD = -0.78, 95% CI -1.19 to -0.37; 95% PI -2.25 to 0.69), and self-efficacy (SMD = 0.47, 95% CI 0.06 to 0.89; 95% PI -1.04 to 1.98). All primary outcomes showed substantial heterogeneity (I2 > 75%), with 95% PIs that spanned the null value, indicating that the true effect in future studies could be zero or even negative. The self-efficacy finding lacked robustness in leave-one-out sensitivity analyses and was susceptible to the influence of individual studies. Evidence for IA was restricted to a small number of trials on rheumatoid arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis, and the overall certainty of evidence was rated very low to low. Current evidence suggests an association between telemedicine and improved outcomes in arthritis, but these findings are exploratory and limited by low evidence certainty, marked heterogeneity, and wide prediction intervals. Evidence for IA is insufficient to draw definitive conclusions. https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/view/CRD420261401824, PROSPERO CRD420261401824.
SN - 2296-858X
ER -