Effectiveness of telenursing in improving quality of life in patients with heart failure: A systematic review and meta-analysis

In the field of health services, telenursing is a contemporary information and communication technology system that enables the provision of nursing care and services to remote areas. Telenursing can increase psychological general well-being in patients with chronic conditions. Nevertheless, the effects of telenursing on patients with heart failure have not been examined. This study was aimed at ascertaining how telenursing treatments affect quality of life in patients with heart failure. The inclusion criteria were articles from 2015 to 2023 in English, reporting quality of life outcomes for participants with heart failure in randomized controlled trials of telenursing interventions. The exclusion criteria were studies of psychiatric disorders, literature reviews, systematic reviews, and umbrella reviews. The systematic review was registered with PROSPERO registration number CRD42023484361. The review was conducted with five databases: PubMed, Scopus, Willey, Proquest, and Emerald Insight. Critical appraisal was conducted with the Joanna Briggs Institute's Critical Appraisal Checklist. The data were synthesized with Review Manager version 5.4. Eleven randomized controlled trials (2032 patients) met the inclusion criteria. A significant effect on quality of life was observed after telenursing intervention. The heterogeneity was high, at 98% (SMD = 1.05; 95% CI [0.12, 1.98]; ρ = 0.03). Telenursing interventions can improve quality of life among patients with heart failure and therefore may be applied in hospitals providing nursing care, to remotely provide education and monitor the quality of life of patients with heart failure.