Digital Health Technologies in the Treatment of Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndromes: A Systematic Review of Randomized Clinical Trials

TL;DR

This paper reviews how digital health technologies help reduce chronic pelvic pain, but finds mixed results due to study differences.

Contribution

A systematic review of randomized trials evaluating digital health interventions for chronic pelvic pain syndromes.

Findings

Four studies showed significant pain reduction only in experimental groups using digital health technologies.

One study reported increased pain intensity in all groups, with smaller increases in experimental groups.

High heterogeneity among studies limits the consistency of results.

Abstract

Objective: To comprehensively examine the qualitative results of current studies reporting the efficacy of digital health (DH) technologies in the treatment of chronic pelvic pain syndromes (CPPS) and to describe the characteristics of these interventions. Materials and methods: In line with Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines, CINAHL, MEDLINE (via PubMed), Scopus and Web of Science databases were searched for trials published between database inception and July 2024. Randomized clinical trials using DH technologies for CPPS treatment were included. Methodological quality and risk of bias were appraised using the Downs and Black scale and the Cochrane Risk of Bias Assessment Tool. Results: Six articles were included. Four studies showed pain reduction in both groups between baseline and the end of the study, but this reduction was significant only in the experimental groups. One study showed an increase in pain intensity in all the groups, although it was smaller in the experimental groups. The last study found significant pain reduction in both groups, with no significant difference between them. Conclusions: DH technologies seem to offer some improvement in CPPS patients’ pain intensity. However, the studies showed high heterogeneity, which influences the consistency of the results.

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