the effect of telemedicine in critically ill patients systematic review and meta-analysis远程医疗的影响危重患者的系统回顾和荟萃分析.pdf

Wilcox and Adhikari Critical Care 2012, 16:R127 /content/16/4/R127 RESEARCH Open Access The effect of telemedicine in critically ill patients: systematic review and meta-analysis M Elizabeth Wilcox1* and Neill KJ Adhikari2 Abstract Introduction: Telemedicine extends intensivists’ reach to critically ill patients cared for by other physicians. Our objective was to evaluate the impact of telemedicine on patients’ outcomes. Methods: We searched electronic databases through April 2012, bibliographies of included trials, and indexes and conference proceedings in two journals (2001 to 2012). We selected controlled trials or observational studies of critically ill adults or children, examining the effects of telemedicine on mortality. Two authors independently selected studies and extracted data on outcomes (mortality and length of stay in the intensive care unit (ICU) and hospital) and methodologic quality. We used random-effects meta-analytic models unadjusted for case mix or cluster effects and quantified between-study heterogeneity by using I2 (the percentage of total variability across studies attributable to heterogeneity rather than to chance). Results: Of 865 citations, 11 observational studies met selection criteria. Overall quality was moderate (mean score on Newcastle-Ottawa scale, 5.1/9; range, 3 to 9). Meta-analyses showed that telemedicine, compared with standard care, is associated with lower ICU mortality (risk ratio (RR) 0.79; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.65 to 0.96; nine studies, n = 23,526; I2 = 70%) and hospital mortality (RR, 0.83; 95% CI, 0.73 to 0.94; nine studies, n = 47,943; I2 = 72%). Interventions with continuous patient-data monitoring, with or without alerts, reduced ICU mortality (RR, 0.78; 95% CI, 0.64 to 0.95; six studies, n = 21,384; I2 = 74%) versus t