Effects of internet-based telemonitoring platforms on the quality of life of oncologic patients: A systematic literature review protocol.

Introduction: Telemonitoring involves the transmission of clinical information through digital means, including internet-connected devices such as smartphones, health tracking apps and video conferencing platforms. This strategy could provide a viable alternative to facilitate follow-up in several conditions, including cancer.

Objectives: To synthesise the available evidence on the effectiveness of internet-based telemonitoring platforms amongst oncological patients. Relevant endpoints include overall quality of life, the ability to detect postoperative complications, severe toxicity reactions attributable to chemotherapy, reducing the frequency of hospitalisations, emergency department visits and mortality.

Methods: A systematic review of published and unpublished randomised and controlled studies will be carried out. Iterative searches in PubMED/MEDLINE, EMBASE, Epistemonikos, LILACS, and Cochrane CENTRAL repositories from January 2000 to January 2023 will be conducted. Grey literature repositories, such as Clinicaltrials, BioRxiv and MedRxiv will be searched as well. The Cochrane risk of bias tool will be used to assess the quality of the eligible studies. If possible, a meta-analysis based on the random-effects model will be conducted to evaluate changes in any of the aforementioned outcomes. Heterogeneity will be assessed with Cochrane's Q and I2 statistics. Its exploration will be carried out using subgroup and sensitivity analyses. Relevant subgroups include the proportion of elderly patients in each study, characteristics of each platform, study type, type of funding and moment of conduction (i.e. before or after the COVID-19 pandemic). Publication bias will be assessed using funnel plots and Egger's test.

Registration: This systematic review protocol is registered in PROSPERO. Its registration number is CRD42023412705.