Summary of pooled results
| Outcome | Comparison | Intervention element(s) shared by RCTs | No. of RCTs (no. of patients) | Disease clusters (no. of RCTs) | Pooled effect size (95% CI) | I2*, % | GRADE† |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Primary outcomes: chronic disease management | |||||||
| Depression | Care coordination; ED v. usual care or control | ED + CM + SM | 2 (448) | COPD + DEP (1) DM + CVD (1) | SMD −0.41 (−0.59 to −0.22)‡ | 0 | ⊕⊕⊕○ Moderate |
| HbA1c | Care coordination; ED v. usual care | ED | 3 (500) | DM + CVD (1) DM + COPD + HF (1) DM + DEP (1) | MD −0.27 (−0.66 to 0.13) | 50 | ⊕⊕○○ Low |
| ED + CM | 2 (207) | DM + CVD (1) DM + COPD + HF (1) | MD −0.51 (−0.90 to −0.11)‡ | 0 | ⊕⊕⊕○ Moderate | ||
| Systolic blood pressure | ED; SM v. usual care | ED + SM | 2 (354) | DM + CKD (1) DM + CVD (1) | DMC −0.44 (−4.49 to 3.61) | 0 | ⊕○○○ Very low |
| Mortality | Care coordination; ED; IHT v. usual care | ED | 4 (550) | COPD + DEP (2) COPD + HF (1) HF + DEP (1) | RR 0.79 (0.53 to 1.17) | 0 | ⊕⊕⊕○ Moderate |
| Secondary outcomes | |||||||
| Use of mental health services | Care coordination; ED v. control | ED + CP | 2 (688) | DM + CVD DM + DEP | RR 2.57 (1.90 to 3.49)‡ | 0 | ⊕⊕⊕○ Moderate |
Note: CI = confidence interval, CKD = chronic kidney disease, CM = case management, COPD = chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, CP = care pathways, CVD = cardiovascular disease, DEP = depression, DM = diabetes, DMC = difference in mean change, ED = education, HbA1c = glycosylated hemoglobin, HF = heart failure, IHT = information health technology, MD = mean difference, RCT = randomized controlled trial, RR = relative risk, SM = self-management, SMD = standardized mean difference.
↵* Statistical heterogeneity as defined by the I2 statistic.29
↵† GRADE was assessed using GRADEPro.31
↵‡ Statistically significant.