Telehealth and Digital Interventions for Type 2 Diabetes and Hypertension in Latin America and the Caribbean: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
In brief
Digital care lowered systolic blood pressure by about 5 mmHg in Latin America and the Caribbean
In randomized trials across the region, digital interventions lowered systolic blood pressure by about 5 mmHg on average; blood sugar and diastolic pressure also improved, but results varied more. Evidence was moderate for systolic pressure and low for the other outcomes, while sustainability, cost, and equity were rarely assessed - key gaps for wider use.
- Journal
- Telemedicine journal and e-health : the official journal of the American Telemedicine Association (Q1)
- Published
- 16 October 2026
- Study design
- Systematic review / meta-analysis of RCTs
- Evidence level
- Level 1, High (CEBM 1a)
- Authors
- Fabián Torres-Campoverde, Bolívar Torres-Campoverde
- PMID
- 42886602
- DOI
- 10.1177/15305627261497215
Why clinicians should know about it
- Picked for Health Informatics (paper of the day, 17 October 2026): Systematic review/meta‑analysis of telehealth for diabetes & hypertension in LAC
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Telehealth, remote monitoring, and other digital interventions may support chronic disease management, but evidence from Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) remains fragmented. We evaluated clinical effectiveness and characterized human support, clinical integration, and implementation. METHODS: PubMed, Scopus, SciELO, and LILACS were searched through July 2026 for studies of digital interventions in adults with type 2 diabetes or hypertension in LAC. Random-effects meta-analyses were restricted to randomized trials and used restricted maximum likelihood estimation, Hartung-Knapp adjustment, and 95% prediction intervals (PIs). Evidence certainty was assessed using Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation. RESULTS: Thirty-six studies (41 reports) from 12 countries were included: 15 randomized and 21 nonrandomized. Six trials (n = 689) showed lower HbA1c (mean difference [MD] -1.23 percentage points; 95% confidence interval [CI] -2.19 to -0.26; I2 = 83.8%; PI: -3.64 to 1.18). Seven trials (n = 2,280) showed lower systolic blood pressure (SBP; MD: -4.97 mmHg; 95% CI: -7.15 to -2.79; I2 = 26.1%; PI: -8.85 to -1.09), and five (n = 1,825) showed lower diastolic blood pressure (DBP; MD: -3.46 mmHg; 95% CI: -5.69 to -1.22; I2 = 76.1%; PI: -9.24 to 2.33). Certainty was moderate for SBP and low for HbA1c and DBP. Professional support and clinical integration were common, whereas sustainability, scalability, interoperability, costs, and equity were inconsistently evaluated. CONCLUSIONS: Digitally enabled chronic care may improve glycemic and blood-pressure control in LAC, with the most consistent evidence for SBP. Heterogeneous intervention models and limited implementation evidence warrant comparative effectiveness-implementation studies.
Abstract as published, via PubMed.
For healthcare professionals. The summary is generated by AI from the published abstract, and the evidence level is assigned automatically from the study design on the Oxford CEBM hierarchy. Neither is medical advice. Read the full paper before changing practice.