Admin_Adham
TOPLINE
Nurse-led telenursing was associated with better quality of life (QOL) in women with breast cancer, but the effect lost statistical significance once researchers adjusted for potential publication bias. Mobile application-based interventions were associated with improved QOL but telephone follow-ups were not.
METHODOLOGY
- Researchers conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of 17 studies (11 randomized controlled trials, one cluster randomized trial, and five quasi-experimental studies) published until March 2025 involving 4199 adult women with breast cancer who were undergoing treatment or were in follow-up for up to 5 years.
- Of these, seven studies that reported on QOL outcomes were included in the meta-analysis.
- Nurse-led telenursing interventions included telephone calls, health-related mobile applications, videoconferencing, and messaging applications.
- The primary outcome was QOL, measured using validated tools such as the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy - Breast and 30-item European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Group Core Questionnaire.
TAKEAWAY
- Telenursing showed a small-to-moderate improvement in QOL (pooled standardized mean difference [SMD], 0.40; P = .019). After adjustment for potential publication bias using a trim-and-fill method, the effect was attenuated and no longer statistically significant.
- Mobile application-based interventions showed a significant improvement in QOL (three studies; pooled SMD, 0.63; P < .0001).
- Telephone follow-up was not associated with significant improvement in QOL.
IN PRACTICE
"These findings support the integration of telenursing as a complementary component of multidisciplinary breast cancer care, enhancing patient outcomes beyond standard medical treatment alone," the authors wrote.
SOURCE
The study was led by Serena Ricchiuto, Humanitas University, and Diego Lopane, IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, both in Milan, Italy. It was published online on September 6 in Cancer Medicine.
LIMITATIONS
The study had a high risk for bias. It showed substantial heterogeneity across studies. In addition, it revealed potential publication bias. Lastly, QOL outcomes were largely self-reported by patients.
DISCLOSURES
This study was supported by Bibliosan. The authors reported having no relevant conflicts of interest.
This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.
