New Original Research
A Systematic Review Identifying Adverse Health Outcomes and Mortality Rates Associated with Telehealth
Fidelia Cascini, MD, PhD, Ana Pantovic, MSc, Yazan A. Al-Ajlouni, MPhil, Omar Al Ta’ani, MD, Giovanna Failla, MD, Andriy Melnyk, MD, Paul Barach, BSC, MD, MPH, Maj, Walter Ricciardi, MD, MPH, MSc, PhD
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.30953/thmt.v8.415
Authors hypothesize that there are risks of adverse events associated with telehealth interventions, accelerated by the COVID-pandemic. An in depth review of PubMed, MEDLINE, Web of Science, VHL/GHL, Scopus, Science Direct, and PsycINFO was conducted for all adverse events associated with telehealth from January 1,
1960 to March 1, 2021. This systematic review and meta-analyses was conducted according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines.
Of 5,144 citations, 78 published studies met criteria for quality evaluation and underwent full text abstraction including the qualitative synthesis. The results of the meta-analysis suggest that monitoring patients using telehealth techniques is
associated with 40% lower mortality risks among patients suffering from heart failure, compared to those who received traditional care. Among patients with heart implants, patients who received telemonitoring had a 35% lower mortality risk compared to patients receiving traditional care.
Have authors found the
global magic bullet for improved health outcomes?
More complementary studies with consistent outcome assessments should be conducted and published to demonstrate real world patient outcomes. Cost analysis can also shed more light for policy makers and clinicians around the globe in utilizing telehealth solutions.
