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Effectiveness of Nurse-Led Telehealth Compared With Usual Care on Glycemic Control and Body Mass Index in Adults With
Rong Hu1, XingYu Luo1, CaiYun He1
1Health Science Center, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, China.
Aims And Objectives:
To evaluate the effectiveness of nurse-led telehealth compared with usual care on glycemic control and body mass index in adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).
Background:
Nurse-led telehealth may support diabetes self-management between clinic visits, but its effectiveness for adults with T2DM remains uncertain.
Methods:
Five databases were searched from September 2015 to January 2026. Randomized controlled trials comparing nurse-led telehealth with usual/conventional care in adults with T2DM were included. Two reviewers independently screened studies, extracted data, and assessed risk of bias. Random-effects meta-analyses pooled mean differences (MDs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). The primary outcome was change in HbA1c. Secondary outcomes included BMI and FPG. PROSPERO registration: CRD420251149835.
Results:
Eleven RCTs were included in the systematic review; 10 contributed to meta-analysis, while 1 was synthesized narratively due to non-extractable outcome data. Nurse-led telehealth significantly reduced HbA1c compared with usual care (MD = -0.62%, 95% CI -0.90 to -0.34; p < 0.0001). BMI showed a borderline but non-significant reduction favouring nurse-led telehealth (MD = -0.61 kg/m2, 95% CI -1.23 to 0.01; p = 0.05). FPG did not differ significantly between groups (MD = -0.62 mmol/L, 95% CI -2.10 to 0.86; p = 0.41).
Conclusions:
Nurse-led telehealth improves HbA1c compared with usual care and appears to be a promising adjunct to routine diabetes care delivered by nurses. Further trials should clarify intervention intensity and fidelity and evaluate longer-term outcomes relevant to nursing practice.
Relevance To Clinical Practice:
This review supports integrating structured nurse-delivered remote follow-up into clinical pathways to strengthen ongoing diabetes self-management between clinic visits. The complexity of symptom burden, treatment workload and patient engagement should be considered, underscoring the importance of tailoring and ongoing support in nurse-led telehealth programmes.
Trial Registration:
PROSPERO (CRD420251149835).
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