The effect of web‐based intervention programs on self‐management and symptom management in patients with lymphoma: A systematic review of randomized controlled trials

Aim This systematic review aimed to systematically summarize studies obtained through a database search and examine the effect of web‐based intervention programs on self‐management and symptom management in patients with lymphoma. Methods A systematic review of randomized controlled trials was carried out. Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Web of Science, PubMed, CINAHL, Scopus, ProQuest, Science Direct, and Ovid databases were reviewed until January 2021. The flow chart of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta‐Analysis checklist was used in the search procedure without setting a year limit. Population, Intervention, Comparison, Outcomes and Study criteria were determined by two independent investigators and published randomized controlled studies in English with lymphoma diagnosis and web‐based intervention programs for self‐management and symptom management were included in the systematic review. The included studies were examined for their risk of bias with the help of the Cochrane Collaboration tool. A narrative synthesis of study findings was performed. Results Six randomized controlled trials with 2382 participants were included in the systematic review. Web‐based intervention programs in patients diagnosed with lymphoma were found to be generally implemented for determining the levels of self‐management and symptom management. In all of the studies reviewed, it was found that the interventions had treatment outcomes. The risk of Bias 2 was evaluated as high risk in two studies that did not meet the criteria for blinding outcome evaluations. The included studies, while evaluating the effects of web‐based intervention programs on patient outcomes, could not provide information about the underlying mechanisms by which these effects occur and how they occur. Conclusions All of the studies included were found to apply a technology designed to improve outcomes in patients with lymphoma. It is recommended that web‐based intervention programs be individualized by adapting them to lymphoma types and stages, and serve as a guide for effective symptom management.