3.3.3. Self-Care Management

Self-care management was evaluated in all the systematic reviews included here. Two systematic reviews with meta-analysis [29,30], with a total of 4071 patients, evaluated self-care management improvements with the use of reminders. No difference was found between the control and intervention groups in patients with COPD and CVD [29,30], whereas a statistically significant improvement was found in patients with T2DM [29] (increased self-management capacity in "Self-Efficacy for Diabetes—SED"—Mean Difference 6.10, 95% CI 0.45 to 11.75), particularly in patients of younger age and those requiring home care [29].

The effect of telemonitoring on self-care management of chronic diseases was studied in two systematic reviews with a total of 23,109 patients [31,32]. Only one systematic review showed significant improvements in self-care management in patients with CVD (heart failure) [32]. No difference was found between standard care and the experimental group for patients with T2DM and COPD [31].

The impact of web-based education on self-management was assessed by four systematic reviews (two with meta-analysis) [33–36] with a total of 15,441 patients. Only COPD patients recorded positive results for all dedicated programs, with statistically significant improvements in self-management of consulting behaviors, such as speaking to a healthcare provider if coughing/breathlessness increases [33,35].
