Telenursing In Cardiovascular Diseases: A Critical Review of Systematic Reviews of Evidence

Introduction: There is a growing interest in telenursing's effect in reducing the burden of chronic diseases. Methods: In this study, a comprehensive review of systematic reviews of the effect of telenursing interventions on primary care of cardiovascular diseases was performed. The reviewed English articles were published between 2000 and 2018. International databases, including CINAHL, Web of Sciences, Science direct ERIC, Google Scholar, PubMed, SCOPUS, Wiley, Springer, Cochrane, EMBASE, Education Index British, were used to search for studies. Articles were evaluated for quality using relevant checklists. Data were extracted by a researcher. The second researcher reviewed the data using a standardized form. Then, two evaluators evaluated the quality of each study using a review quality assessment questionnaire. Results: Out of 85 articles, 13 studies were included, four studies focused on telecommunication interventions performed on blood pressure, and 9 studies focused on telecommunication and management of heart failure. Seven studies received a score of 5 or higher and were of good quality. Conclusions: The findings show that telenursing reduces blood pressure, reduces overall hospitalization and HF-induced hospitalization, reduces overall mortality, and improves the quality of life. It also improves disease outcomes and reduces health costs. However, we need more research to examine the components of telephoning interventions to determine these components' relative value. Also, the methods of influencing telecommunication on health outcomes need further investigation to show the desired results.