The effect of decision support systems on pain in patients with cancer: A systematic review and meta‐analysis of randomized controlled trials

Purpose This study was conducted to systematically examine the effect of decision support systems (DSSs) applied to patients with cancer on pain severity. Review methods Systematic review and meta‐analysis. A search was done on Web of Science, Science Direct, PubMed, ProQuest, EBSCOhost/CINAHL Complete, Scopus, Springer Link, Cochrane Library, and Ovid databases, which covered a period until September 2021. Meta‐analysis of the data was conducted on the CMA 3 software package. Comprehensive reviews were conducted by two independent researchers in line with the PICOS criteria. The study was conducted according to the PRISMA checklist. Findings Five randomized controlled trials with 1.880 participants were included in this systematic review and meta‐analysis. In the study, visits, consultations, simulation of patient outcomes, telephone support, and email applications were employed for periods ranging from 6 weeks to 6 months. The evaluation of the meta‐analysis results indicated that DSSs had positive effects on pain severity in patients with cancer (Hedge's g = 0.22; p