ArticleBMC nursing2026
Effectiveness of virtual nurse interventions in chronic disease self-management: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials.
Article in BMC nursing, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Cited by 2 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled 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.
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.
Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Nursing interventions for people with systemic lupus erythematosus: a systematic review.Lupus science & medicine · 2026Pooled it
- The Role of Emotions in Health Literacy and Patient Education: Trends, Technologies, and Future Opportunities-A Scoping Review.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
Corrections and comments
- Erratum issued
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundChronic diseases require ongoing self-management, but patients often struggle with knowledge, behavioral adherence, and emotional well-being. Virtual nurse interventions, which refers to digital systems simulating nurse–patient interactions, offer a potential strategy to support self-management. This review aimed to evaluate their effectiveness in improving health knowledge, behavioral outcomes, psychological well-being, and patient satisfaction.
methodsA systematic search of the Cochrane Library, PubMed, CINAHL, MEDLINE, and EMBASE was conducted for randomized controlled trials published between 2014 and April 2025. Studies involving adults with chronic diseases and virtual nurse interventions reporting outcomes on knowledge, behavior, psychological well-being, or patient satisfaction were included. Methodological quality was appraised using the Joanna Briggs Institute checklist. Data were synthesized narratively using the Synthesis Without Meta-analysis (SWiM) framework due to substantial heterogeneity in intervention modalities and outcome measures.
resultsSix trials with 533 participants were included. Virtual nurse interventions consistently improved disease-specific knowledge and psychological well-being, and were associated with high patient satisfaction. Evidence for behavioral adherence and clinical outcomes was limited and often not statistically significant.
conclusionsVirtual nurse interventions show potential to enhance disease-related knowledge and psychological support among adults with chronic diseases. However, given the small evidence base, their long-term effects on sustained behavioral change and clinical outcomes remain inconclusive. Future research should prioritize rigorous, long-term trials and consider cultural adaptations and digital health literacy to optimize real-world implementation. CLINICAL TRIAL NUMBER: Not applicable. Shiouh-Chu Shieh.
trial registrationPROSPERO CRD420251038439.
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Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
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.