Efficacy of mHealth in Patients With Chronic Neck Pain: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Abstract

Objectives: To assess the efficacy of mobile health-based interventions for alleviating symptoms of chronic neck pain in patients.

Methods: A systematic search was conducted in databases, including the China National Knowledge Infrastructure, VIP, Wanfang, Chinese Biomedical Databases, PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library, for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) regarding support provided to patients with chronic neck pain using mobile health interventions from database inception to March 2024. Two researchers independently screened the literature and evaluated the quality using the Cochrane Handbook 5.1 risk of bias assessment tool. Statistical analyses were performed using RevMan 5.2, and the quality of evidence was assessed according to the GRADE criteria.

Results: Ten RCTs comprising 825 participants were included. A meta-analysis indicated that mobile health interventions were more effective than other physical therapies for reducing pain (short-term: SMD = -0.76, [95% CI -1.50, -0.02], p = .04; mid-term: SMD = -0.48, [95% CI -0.78, -0.18], p < .01), although there was no significant difference for improving neck disability status (short-term: MD = -6.74, [95% CI -13.65, 0.17], p = .06; mid-term: SMD = -2.26 [95% CI -6.71, 2.20], p = .32). Compared to minimal intervention, mobile health interventions were more effective in reducing pain (short-term: SMD = -1.16, [95% CI -1.70, -0.63], p < .001) and improving neck disability status (short-term: MD = -7.88, [95% CI -12.27, -3.13], p < .001).

Conclusions: Mobile health-based interventions positively affected the predictive outcomes for patients with chronic neck pain, reduced pain levels, and improved neck disability. Further research is needed to demonstrate their benefits for reducing fear of pain and improving quality of life.