Efficacy of Mobile Health in Patients with Low Back Pain: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials (Preprint)
BACKGROUND Low back pain is one of the most common health problems and a main cause of disability, which imposes a great burden on patients. Mobile health (mHealth) affects many aspects of people's lives, and it has progressed rapidly, showing promise as an effective intervention for patients with low back pain. However, the efficacy of mHealth interventions for patients with low back pain remains unclear; thus, further exploration is necessary. OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of mHealth interventions in patients with low back pain, compared to usual care. METHODS We searched for studies published in English before October 2020 in PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library. Two researchers independently scanned the literature, extracted data, and assessed the methodological quality of the included studies. We used RevMan 5.4 software to perform the meta-analysis. RESULTS A total of 10 studies with 1003 participant, met the inclusion criteria. The simultaneous use of mHealth and usual care showed a greater reduction in pain intensity than usual care alone, as measured by the Numeric Rating Scale (mean difference [MD] -0.85, 95% CI -1.29 to -0.40; P<.001), and greater efficacy in reducing disability, as measured by the Rolland-Morris Disability Questionnaire (MD -1.58, 95% CI -2.33 to -0.83; P<.001). CONCLUSIONS The simultaneous interventions of mHealth and usual care has greater efficacy than usual care alone in reducing pain intensity and disability in patients with low back pain.