Effectiveness of Telemedicine Intervention for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease in China: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background: Telemedicine market in China has been rapidly developing. However, no systematic review has been published in China. Details of the implementation of telemedicine interventions in the chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in China have not been described, and the effectiveness of telemedicine interventions is still unclear. Therefore, in this review, we describe the implementation details of telemedicine intervention in China and access the efficacy of telemedicine. Materials and Methods: A literature search was conducted in Embase, Cochrane Library, PubMed, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wan Fang Data, and China Science and Technology Journal Database by July 9, 2018. Results: A total number of 24 studies were meta-analyzed. There are many differences during the implementation of telemedicine in China. Quality of life in the group of the telemedicine intervention was better than that in the control group (mean difference = -4.93 [95% confidence interval; CI -6.86 to -3.01], p < 0.00001), but the heterogeneity is high (I-2 = 86%, p = 0.0001). The rates of hospitalization were lower than those in the control group (odds ratio = 0.24 [95% CI 0.20-0.29], p < 0.00001), and the heterogeneity was low (I-2 = 25%, p = 0.14). Conclusion: The implementation of telemedicine in China has not yet been standardized. Nonetheless, results of our review indicated that telemedicine in China can improve the quality of life and reduce the rates of hospitalization in COPD patients.