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SYSTEMATIC REVIEW article

Front. Psychiatry
Sec. Digital Mental Health
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1434376

The efficacy of telemedicine interventions on quality of life and depression in individuals with spinal cord injury: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Provisionally accepted
寅虎 谭 寅虎 谭 Xue Liang Xue Liang Wei Ming Wei Ming Huimin Xing Huimin Xing Yan Liang Yan Liang Yang Wang Yang Wang *Emmanuel Onyebuchi Onodu Emmanuel Onyebuchi Onodu
  • School of Nursing, Changchun University of Chinese Medicine, Changchun, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Objective The purpose of this systematic review and meta-analysis is to examine the impact of telemedicine interventions on the quality of life (QoL) and depression in individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI). Methods A literature search was conducted in four electronic databases (PubMed, Web of Science, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library) from their inception to February 1, 2024. Two authors independently screened the studies and extracted the data. Cochrane's bias risk tool for randomized controlled trials was used to examine the methodological quality of the included studies. A meta-analysis was conducted using Review Manager (version 5.4) to synthesize the results of the included studies. Results A total of 10 trials with 728 participants were included in the review. The results of the meta-analysis showed that telemedicine interventions significantly improved QoL [Standardized Mean Difference (SMD)=0.72, 95% Confidence Interval (CI) (0.11, 1.32), P=0.02] and reduced depression scores [SMD=-0.18, 95% CI (-0.31, -0.05), P=0.006]. Conclusions Telemedicine interventions are a feasible method to support people with SCI, and can mitigate depression and enhance quality of life. In the future, studies should involve larger sample sizes and extended follow-up periods to validate these findings and to identify the most effective telemedicine interventions for improving the overall health outcomes of individuals with SCI.

    Keywords: telemedicine1, telerehabilitation2, spinal cord injuries3, quality of life4, Depression5, meta-analysis6

    Received: 17 May 2024; Accepted: 07 Jan 2025.

    Copyright: © 2025 谭, Liang, Ming, Xing, Liang, Wang and Onodu. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Yang Wang, School of Nursing, Changchun University of Chinese Medicine, Changchun, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.