E-health self-management interventions improve quality of life in cancer patients with a standardized mean difference of 0.18

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Worldviews on evidence-based nursing Published June 6, 2026 Medically reviewed June 6, 2026 Study authors: Zhang Jialin, Zhang Shu, Li Linna, Duan Liyang, Hu Xiaolin PubMed ↗ DOI ↗ By Dr. Julia Lee, PhD · Oncology, Genomics & Drug Development

Key Takeaway

Consider e-health self-management interventions to improve quality of life in cancer patients, pending further confirmation.

This meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials examined the impact of self-management interventions based on e-health on quality of life in patients with cancer. The analysis pooled data from thirty randomized controlled trials to assess the effectiveness of these digital health tools.

The primary outcome measured was quality of life, which showed a significant improvement across the included studies. The pooled effect size was a standardized mean difference of 0.18 with a 95% confidence interval ranging from 0.08 to 0.28 and a p-value less than 0.01.

The authors highlight that intervention duration, delivery modes, cancer types, theoretical frameworks, and facilitator involvement should be considered in the design of future interventions. They caution that additional high-quality studies are needed to confirm these findings before drawing definitive conclusions.

Practice relevance suggests these interventions are valuable supplements for enhancing quality of life, but clinicians should await further validation given the current limitations in study heterogeneity and the need for confirmation.

Study Details

Study typeMeta analysis

EvidenceLevel 1

PublishedJun 2026

PMID42244124

View Original Abstract ↓

BACKGROUND: The diagnosis of cancer results in psychophysiological distress in patients, significantly reducing quality of life (QoL). Currently, self-management interventions based on e-health have been used to improve QoL among cancer patients, but the overall effects remain inconsistent. OBJECTIVE: To assess the impact of self-management interventions based on e-health on the QoL of cancer patients. METHODS: Studies were retrieved from six databases up to November 6, 2024. The methodological quality assessment was performed via ROB 2. Data synthesis and subgroup analyses were performed in Review Manager 5.3. Meta-regression was conducted using Stata 15.0. RESULTS: Thirty RCTs were included. The results of meta-analysis revealed self-management interventions based on e-health significantly improved QoL (SMD = 0.18, 95% CI: 0.08 to 0.28, p < 0.01). Subgroup analyses showed that long-term, mixed-mode, theory-supported, or facilitator-supervised interventions were more effective, with greater improvements in QoL observed among patients with breast cancer than among other types. LINKING EVIDENCE TO ACTION: Self-management interventions based on e-health were valuable supplements for enhancing the QoL of cancer patients. Intervention duration, delivery modes, cancer types, theoretical frameworks, and facilitators' involvement should be considered in the design of future interventions. However, additional high-quality studies are needed to confirm these findings. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The protocol was registered on PROSPERO (Registration number: CRD420251017709).