Evidence mapPaperPMID 41248949Full record

SynthesisBMJ open diabetes research & care2025

Text messaging interventions are associated with reductions in HbA1c among patients with diabetes: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Neda Pirouzmand, Grace S Ko, Lucas C Godoy, Olivia Haldenby, Cynthia A Jackevicius, Ayman Jubran, Candace D McNaughton, Baiju R Shah, Maneesh Sud, Karen Tu and 1 more

Abstract readSystematic ReviewMeta-Analysis
In one paragraph

Synthesis in BMJ open diabetes research & care, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Trial
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors.

Neda PirouzmandUniversity of Toronto Temerty Faculty of Medicine, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0007-1734-9056
Grace S KoQueen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada.
Lucas C GodoyUniversity of Toronto Temerty Faculty of Medicine, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Olivia HaldenbyICES, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Cynthia A JackeviciusUniversity of Toronto Temerty Faculty of Medicine, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Ayman JubranNorth York General Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Candace D McNaughtonUniversity of Toronto Temerty Faculty of Medicine, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Baiju R ShahUniversity of Toronto Temerty Faculty of Medicine, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3598-3628
Maneesh SudUniversity of Toronto Temerty Faculty of Medicine, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Karen TuUniversity of Toronto Temerty Faculty of Medicine, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Dennis T KoUniversity of Toronto Temerty Faculty of Medicine, Toronto, Ontario, Canada dennis.ko@ices.on.ca.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionAchieving optimal glycemic control remains challenging for many patients with diabetes. Text message-based interventions offer a scalable approach to enhance management. This systematic review and meta-analysis evaluated the impact of texting interventions on glycemic control in adults with diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND

methodsWe searched EMBASE, PubMed, and Cochrane CENTRAL for randomized controlled trials comparing texting interventions to standard care in high-income countries. The primary outcome was the between-group difference in hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) change from baseline. Risk of bias and overall quality of evidence were assessed using the Cochrane and Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation tools respectively. Results were pooled using an inverse variance random-effects model. Heterogeneity was evaluated using the I

resultsOver 3 months of follow-up (14 trials, n=1,460 intervention, n=1,487 control), texting interventions were associated with a 0.29-unit greater reduction in percent HbA1c over control (95% CI 0.14 to 0.45, p=0.0001, I

conclusionText messaging interventions are associated with modest improvements in glycemic control over 3-6 months, particularly in patients with poorer baseline HbA1c. These effects may be meaningful at scale and support texting as a potential adjunct to routine diabetes care. Benefits appear to diminish by 12 months, underscoring the need for high-quality trials focused on long-term impact and intervention optimization. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42023416462.

Indexed as

Diabetes MellitusGlycated HemoglobinGlycemic ControlText MessagingBlood GlucoseHumansRandomized Controlled Trials as TopicBlood GlucoseGlycated Hemoglobinhemoglobin A1c protein, humanPreventive MedicinePrimary PreventionTelemedicine

Identifiers

PMID41248949
PMCPMC12625939

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.