Assessing the impact of educational eHealth and mHealth interventions on health outcomes in continuity of care for enterostomy patients: A meta-analysis

Purpose

To evaluate the effectiveness of educational eHealth and mHealth interventions on self-care ability, quality of life (QoL), ostomy complications and other health outcomes in enterostomy patients.

Methods

A comprehensive database search yielded 7385 records, which were narrowed down to 13 RCTs through stringent PRISMA-guided selection. These studies, conducted globally from 2015 to 2023, involved a total of 1530 participants and employed various eHealth and mHealth platforms, from mobile apps to telehealth systems. Primary outcomes assessed were self-care ability, QoL, and ostomy complications, mostly analyzed using a random-effects model due to inherent study heterogeneity.

Results

The meta-analysis showed significant improvements in self-care ability (SMD = 0.85, CI = [0.23, 1.47], P = 0.007) and QoL (SMD = 0.64, CI = [0.50, 0.79], P < 0.001) among participants receiving eHealth and mHealth interventions compared to those receiving standard care. eHealth and mHealth interventions also led to a reduction in ostomy complications (SMD = 0.18, CI = [0.12, 0.27], P < 0.001). Secondary outcomes revealed significant improvements in stoma adjustment (SMD = 1.13, CI = [0.70, 1.56], P < 0.001) and self-efficacy (SMD = 0.51, CI = [0.38, 0.64], P < 0.001). The effects on psychological well-being were mixed, with some studies showing benefits in reducing depression and anxiety symptoms, albeit with high heterogeneity.

Conclusions

eHealth and mHealth interventions appear effective in improving essential health outcomes for enterostomy patients, though the heterogeneity among studies suggests that results should be interpreted with caution. The effectiveness of these interventions underscores the need for their integration into routine care, tailored to individual patient needs and local healthcare settings. Further research is required to determine the most effective eHealth and mHealth modalities and to explore their long-term benefits and scalability.