title: Does the use of consumer health information technology improve outcomes in the patient self-management of diabetes? A meta-analysis and narrative review of randomized controlled trials.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess whether the use of consumer health information technologies (CHITs) improves outcomes in the patient self-management of diabetes.
  
  
  METHODS
  The evidence from randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on the effects of CHITs on patient outcomes was analyzed using either meta-analysis or a narrative synthesis approach. A systematic search of seven electronic databases was conducted to identify relevant reports of RCTs for the analysis. In the meta-analyses, standardized mean differences in patient outcomes were calculated and random-effects models were applied in cases where the heterogeneity of the results was moderate or high, otherwise fixed-effects models were used.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Sixty-two studies, representing 67 RCTs, met the inclusion criteria. The results of the meta-analyses showed that the use of CHITs was associated with significant reductions in HbA1c, blood pressure, total cholesterol, and triglycerides levels when compared with the usual care. The findings from the narrative synthesis indicated that only a small proportion of the trials reported positive effects of CHITs on patient outcomes.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The use of CHITs in supporting diabetes self-management appears to have potential benefits for patients' self-management of diabetes. However, the effectiveness of the technologies in improving patient outcomes still awaits confirmation in future studies.
authors.affiliation: Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Systems Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong. Electronic address: klor@hku.hk.
authors.forename: Calvin K L
authors.initials: CK
authors.lastname: Or
authors.affiliation: Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Systems Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.
authors.forename: Da
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Tao
mesh_terms: D054626:Consumer Health Information / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006801:Humans; D033181:Information Dissemination; D008490:Medical Informatics; D011788:Quality of Life; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D012648:Self Care
keywords: Consumer health information technology; Diabetes self-management; Meta-analysis