Table 1 Details of included studies including critical appraisal scores

Beaver et al., 2009 Manchester, UK [11]

374 breast cancer patients

Telephone follow up by specialist nurses

Usual hospital care

24 months (mean)

Psychological morbidity

Equivalence trial - : no difference between the two groups

Study Quality – 8/10

Participant’s needs for information

External validity – 2/3

Participant’s satisfaction

Internal Validity (bias) – 6/7

Clinical Investigations ordered

Internal Validity (selection bias) – 6/6

Time to detection of recurrent disease

Power – 1/1 (Total – 23/27)

Beaver et al., 2009 (Economic evaluation) Manchester, UK [25]

374 breast cancer patients

Cost minimization analysis of RCT above

-

24 months (mean)

Primary: NHS resource use

Telephone follow-up more costly (mean difference £55 but telephone patients had lower personal costs (mean difference £47)

No score as cost analysis

Secondary: patient, carer and productivity courses

Davison and Degner, 2002 Vancouver, Canada [15]

749 breast cancer patients

Computer programme providing information and assisting decision making

Standard care only- asked about decision making before clinic appointment

One clinic visit

Involvement in decision making

Women in the intervention group reporting playing a more passive role.

Study Quality – 6/10

Patient satisfaction

Patient satisfaction was high in both groups

External validity – 2/3

Internal Validity (bias) – 5/7

Internal Validity (selection bias) – 4/6

Power – 0/1 (Total – 17/27)

Harrison et al., 2011 Sydney, Australia [21]

75 patients with colorectal cancer

5 telephone calls from a specialist colorectal nurse in 6 months after discharge

Standard care

6 months

Unmet supportive care needs

No difference between the groups for unmet needs and health service utilization

Study Quality – 8/10

Health service utilization

Quality of life scores higher in the intervention group at 6 months

External validity – 2/3

Quality of life

Internal Validity (bias) – 5/7

Internal Validity (selection bias) – 6/6

Power – 0/1 (Total – 21/27)

Hegel et al., 2010 New Hampshire, USA [16]

31 Breast cancer patients

6 weekly session of telephone delivered problem solving occupational therapy

Usual care

12 weeks

Primary outcome: feasibility of conducting the trial

Overall positive outcomes

Study Quality – 8/10

Secondary outcomes: functional, quality of life and emotional status

External validity – 3/3

Internal Validity (bias) – 5/7

Internal Validity (selection bias) – 6/6

Power – 0/1 (Total – 20/20)

Kearney et al., 2008 Stirling, Scotland [12]

112 cancer patients

Mobile phone-based remote monitoring during chemotherapy

Standard care

16 weeks

Chemotherapy related morbidity – 6 common symptoms, nausea, vomiting, fatigue, mucositis, hand-foot syndrome and diarrhoea

Higher reports of fatigue in the control group and lower reports of hand-foot syndrome in the control group

Study Quality – 8/10

External validity – 1/3

Internal Validity (bias) – 5/7

Internal Validity (selection bias) – 6/6

Power – 0/1 (Total – 20/27)

Kimman et al., 2011 Maastricht, Netherlands [17]

299 women with breast cancer

Nurse led telephone follow up or

Hospital follow up or hospital follow up plus EGP

18 months

Health related quality of life (HRQoL)

No difference between the two groups

Study Quality – 8/10

Nurse led telephone follow up plus educational group programme (EGP)

Secondary measures included role and emotional functioning and feelings of control and anxiety

External validity – 2/3

Internal Validity (bias) – 5/7

Internal Validity (selection bias) – 6/6

Power – 1/1 (Total – 22/27)

Kimman et al., 2011 Maastricht, Netherlands [27]

299 women with breast cancer

Nurse led telephone follow up or Nurse led telephone follow up plus educational group programme (EGP)

Hospital follow up or hospital follow up plus EGP

18 months

Quality adjusted life gain (QALYs)

Hospital follow-up plus EGP resulted in the highest QALYs but has the highest costs. Next best in terms of costs and QALYs was nurse led telephone follow up plus EGP

No score as cost analysis

Incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs)

Kimman et al., 2010 Maastricht, Netherlands [13]

299 women with breast cancer

Nurse led telephone follow up or

Hospital follow up or hospital follow up plus EGP

12 months

Patient satisfaction

Increased patient satisfaction with access to care in telephone follow-up group. No significant influence on general patient satisfaction, technical competence or inter-personal aspects

Study Quality – 9/10

Nurse led telephone follow up plus educational group programme (EGP)

External validity – 2/3

Internal Validity (bias) – 5/7

Internal Validity (selection bias) – 5/6

Power – 1/1 (Total – 22/27)

Kroenke et al., 2010 Indiana, USA [26]

405 cancer patients

Centralized telecare management by a nurse-physican specialist team coupled with home-based symptom monitoring by interactive voice recording or internet

Usual care

12 months

Depression Pain

Improvements in pain and depression for the intervention group

Study Quality – 8/10

External validity – 2/3

Internal Validity (bias) 6/7-

Internal Validity (selection bias) – 6/6

Power – 1/1 (Total – 23/27)

Marcus et al., 2009 Colorado, USA [18]

304 breast cancer patients

16 session telephone counselling post treatment

Resource directory for breast cancer was given to each patient

18 months

Distress

No difference for distress and depression

Study Quality – 8/10

Depression

Need for clinical referral – depression and distress reduced by 50% in the intervention group for dichotomized end points

External validity – 2/3

Sexual dysfunction

Effects found for personal growth and sexual dysfunction in the intervention group

Internal Validity (bias) – 5/7

Personal growth

Internal Validity – 5/6 (selection bias)

Power – 0/1 (Total – 20/27)

Matthew et al., 2007 Toronto, Canada [20]

152 prostate cancer patients

PDA survey followed by paper

Paper followed by PDA survey

30 mins

Survey was monitoring health-related quality of life but outcomes looked at assessment of data quality and feasibility

Internal consistency similar

Study Quality – 8/10

PDA followed by PDA survey. (3 groups)

Test re-test reliability confirmed

External validity – 3/3

Data from two modalities strongly correlated.

Internal Validity (bias) – 5/7

Fewer missed items for the PDA

Internal Validity (selection bias) – 5/6

More preferred using the PDA or had no preference. PDA found easy to use

Power – 0/1 (Total – 21/27)

Age did not correlate with difficulty using PDA

Sandgren et al., 2003 North Dakota, USA [19]

222 women with breast cancer

6×30 min telephone therapy sessions that involved either cancer education or emotional expressions

Standard care

5 months

Perceived control

Cancer education group reported greater perceived control compared to standard care

Study Quality – 7/10

Mood

Quality of life

No difference for mood or quality of life

External validity – 2/3

Internal Validity (bias) – 5/7

Internal Validity (selection bias) – 6/6

Power – 1/1 (Total – 21/27)

Sikorski et al., 2009 Michigan, USA [22]

486 cancer patients

Automated voice response symptom reporting

Nurse assisted symptom management via the telephone

6 telephone contacts over 8 weeks

Severity of cancer symptom at intake interview and at first intervention contact

Patient in the AVR group reported more severe symptoms. There was a variation with age with older patients reporting more severity of symptoms to the nurse

Study Quality – 9/10

External validity - 2/3

Internal Validity (bias) – 5/7

Internal Validity (selection bias) – 6/6

Power – 0/1 (Total – 22/27)

Sikorskii et al., 2007 Michigan, USA [23]

435 cancer patients

Automated telephone symptom management

Nurse-assisted symptom management

10 weeks

Severity of cancer symptoms, demographic data and co-morbidities

Reduction in symptom severity in both groups. Lung cancer patients with greater symptom severity withdrew from the ATSM group

Study Quality – 8/10

External validity – 2/3

Internal Validity (bias) – 5/7

Internal Validity (selection bias) – 6/6

Power – 1/1 (Total – 22/27)

Yun et al. 2012 Seoul, Korea [24]

273 cancer patients

Internet based, individually tailored cancer related fatigue education program

Usual care

12 weeks

Level of fatigue

Education group reported a reduction in fatigue, decrease in HADS anxiety score, increase in global QoL score and emotional, cognitive and social functioning of EORTIC QLQ-C30

Study Quality – 8/10

Quality of Life, Anxiety and depression

External validity – 1/3

Internal Validity (bias) – 4/7

Internal Validity (selection bias) – 6/6

Power – 1/1 (Total – 20/27)