Studies that evaluated telehealth interventions for patients with cystic fibrosis were eligible for inclusion. Telehealth interventions had to be designed to monitor symptoms, assess adherence to prescribed medication, or provide therapy, using an electronic interface, such as a telephone, videoconferencing, or an electronic diary. Assessments of the reliability of home-monitoring equipment were excluded.
In the included studies, the patients were children, adolescents, adults, or a mixture. The interventions were telemedicine assessments at home; downloading of data on adherence and medication re-orders; the assessment of equipment usability in hospital; the provision of behavioural and nutritional interventions for toddlers; and automated downloads of spirometry and symptoms. Some studies had control groups, which were usual care, where stated. The outcomes included calorie intake, health care use, respiratory exacerbation rate, antibiotic use, adherence to interventions, and psychological outcomes.
Two reviewers independently selected studies; any discrepancies were resolved by a third reviewer.