Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41032865›Full record

SynthesisJMIR mHealth and uHealth2025

Effects of Remote Patient Monitoring on Health Care Utilization in Patients With Noncommunicable Diseases: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Geir Smedslund, Nina Østerås, Christine Hillestad Hestevik

Abstract readSystematic ReviewMeta-Analysis
In one paragraph

Synthesis in JMIR mHealth and uHealth, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors.

Geir SmedslundCentre for Treatment of Rheumatic and Musculoskeletal Diseases (REMEDY), Diakonhjemmet Hospital, Oslo, Norway.ORCID 0000-0002-4906-1213
Nina ØsteråsCentre for Treatment of Rheumatic and Musculoskeletal Diseases (REMEDY), Diakonhjemmet Hospital, Oslo, Norway.ORCID 0000-0001-8602-342X
Christine Hillestad HestevikCentre for Treatment of Rheumatic and Musculoskeletal Diseases (REMEDY), Diakonhjemmet Hospital, Oslo, Norway.ORCID 0000-0002-5850-4223

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundManagement of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) is an increasing challenge for health care systems. Although remote patient monitoring presents a promising solution by utilizing technology to monitor patients outside clinical settings, there is a lack of knowledge about the effect on resource utilization.

objectiveThis systematic review aimed to review the effects of remote patient monitoring on health care resource utilization by patients with NCDs.

methodsEligible randomized controlled trials (RCTs) involved digital transmission of health data from patients to health care personnel. Outcomes included hospitalizations, length of stay, outpatient visits, and emergency visits. A systematic literature search was performed in Medline, Embase, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials in June 2024. Titles, abstracts, and full texts were screened individually by 2 authors. Risk of bias was assessed, and data were extracted, analyzed, and pooled in meta-analysis when possible. Confidence in the estimates was assessed using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) approach.

resultsWe included 40 RCTs published between 2017 and 2024. The largest group of NCDs was cardiovascular disease (16 studies). Remote patient monitoring may slightly decrease the proportion of hospitalizations compared with usual care (risk ratio [RR] 0.86, 95% CI 0.77 to 0.95; low certainty). Compared with usual care, remote patient monitoring had fewer or an equal number of hospitalizations (mean difference -0.13, 95% CI -0.29 to 0.03; low certainty). Hospital length of stay may be slightly reduced with remote patient monitoring compared with usual care (mean difference -0.84, 95% CI -1.61 to -0.06 days; low certainty). The proportion of outpatient visits showed probably little to no difference between remote patient monitoring and usual care (RR 0.94, 95% CI 0.87 to 1.02; moderate certainty). Compared with usual care, remote patient monitoring had slightly more outpatient visits, but the CI was wide (mean difference 0.41, 95% CI -0.22 to 1.03; low certainty). The results indicate a small or no difference between remote patient monitoring and usual care regarding proportion of emergency visits (RR 0.91, 95% CI 0.79 to 1.05; low certainty). We are uncertain whether remote patient monitoring increases or decreases the number of emergency visits, as the evidence was of very low certainty.

conclusionsThis systematic review showed that remote patient monitoring possibly led to lower proportions of patients being hospitalized, fewer hospitalizations, and shorter hospital length of stay compared with usual care. Patients undergoing remote monitoring had possibly more outpatient visits compared with usual care. The proportions of patients with outpatient visits or emergency visits were probably similar. Finally, we had very low certainty in the number of emergency visits. The results should be considered with caution as the certainty of evidence was moderate to very low. We did not find results regarding institutional stay.

Indexed as

Noncommunicable DiseasesPatient Acceptance of Health CareHospitalizationHumansRandomized Controlled Trials as TopicRemote Patient MonitoringTelemedicinechronic diseaseemergency servicehealth care resource utilizationhospitalhospitalizationslength of staynoncommunicable diseasesoutpatient visitspatient monitoringremote consultationremote patient monitoringsystematic review

Identifiers

PMID41032865
PMCPMC12530163

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.