Researchers have investigated whether self-management electronic health (eHealth) interventions, such as text messaging, apps, and online cognitive-behavioural therapy, should be used to help patients with sickle cell disease self-manage the condition. They concluded that the evidence so far is encouraging, but that more and better quality research needs to be done. The original publication can be found here, at the Journal of Medical Internet Research (doi:10.2196/10940).
About Sickle Cell Disease
Sickle cell disease is a group of lifelong conditions that are linked to changes in red blood cells. Typically, in people with sickle cell disease, the body produces unusually shaped red blood cells that don’t survive as long as typical red blood cells and can become stuck in blood vessels. People with sickle cell disease may be more prone to serious infections, develop anaemia, and experience painful episodes known as sickle cell crises that can cause debilitating pain.
About the Study
To investigate whether the existing evidence supports eHealth interventions as a useful tool for patient’s self-management of sickle cell disease, researchers looked at studies that had previously been carried out on the topic.
Researchers searched multiple journals for relevant studies published between 1995 and 2016. All of the studies they used were original research articles about eHealth interventions designed to help patients with sickle cell disease self-manage. They found sixteen relevant articles that studied eHealth interventions such as text messaging and mobile apps. Collectively, the studies involved a total of 747 adult and paediatric participants.
The Results
The studies showed different findings. Fifteen out of the sixteen studies (94%) recorded an improvement in patient self-management, and the majority also found a high rate of satisfaction with the interventions.
The Researchers’ Conclusions
Based on looking at these sixteen studies, the researchers concluded that eHealth interventions seem to be able to help patients’ self-management in a variety of ways. However, the number of studies is still small, especially in comparison to those done for several other chronic conditions. Many of the studies were also criticised for their methodology. Based on this, the researchers say that people should be cautious and that more research still needs to be done in this area.
