Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41805548›Full record

Trial reportJMIR mHealth and uHealth2026

A Telemedicine App for Nonrigid Facial Rehabilitation Training Enhanced by Efficient Fully Convolutional Neural Network With Residual Network (EffiFCNN-ResNet) to Improve Accessibility for Patients With Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Cancer: Randomized Controlled Trial.

Tong Wu, Ting Han, Xiaoju Zhang, Yumei Dai, Xiaoyan Meng

Abstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
In one paragraph

Trial report in JMIR mHealth and uHealth, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing 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

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Review
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

5 authors.

Tong WuSchool of Design, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.ORCID 0009-0003-0119-1160
Ting HanSchool of Design, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.ORCID 0000-0001-7446-6733
Xiaoju ZhangDepartment of Nursing, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, China.ORCID 0000-0002-9748-5328
Yumei DaiDepartment of Nursing, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, China.ORCID 0000-0001-9289-8062
Xiaoyan MengDepartment of Nursing, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, China.ORCID 0009-0006-2620-2630

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundResource limitations in public hospitals may hinder timely monitoring and management of rehabilitation in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) after radiotherapy.

objectiveThis study developed and evaluated the telemedicine app "Open Care," which integrates the Efficient Fully Convolutional Neural Network with Residual Network (EffiFCNN-ResNet) model and computer vision to monitor facial training exercises and provide real-time feedback, aiming to improve outcomes in patients with restricted mouth opening.

methodsInitially, the EffiFCNN-ResNet model underwent 5-fold cross-validation, expert validation, and robustness testing to assess its reliability and clinical applicability in complex real-world environments. Subsequently, to evaluate the telemedicine app, a parallel-group, 2-arm randomized controlled trial was conducted with 109 patients, who were randomly assigned to either the intervention group (n=55) or the control group (n=54). The intervention group performed mouth-opening exercises under the supervision and guidance of the telemedicine app, whereas the control group followed traditional video-based instructions. Primary outcome measures included maximum mouth opening, mouth-opening symmetry, exercise frequency, and rehabilitation-related health beliefs. Secondary outcomes included fatigue (Brief Fatigue Inventory), health-related quality of life (Assessment of Quality of Life-6 Dimensions), and system usability scores. Data were analyzed using 2-tailed (unpaired) independent-samples t tests and chi-square tests, and the Mann-Whitney U test was used to assess intra- and inter-group differences before and after the intervention.

resultsThe "Open Care" system leverages a lightweight fully convolutional neural network (FCNN) depth model integrated with network communication to enable real-time capture, recognition, and correction of nonrigid facial training movements. It also provides visual feedback and supports automated rehabilitation assessment. The model demonstrated strong generalization ability (macro-averaged F1-score, mean 0.96, SD 0.01) and clinical-grade stability (performance degradation: mean 5.2%, SD 0.6%, under lighting disturbances and challenging pathological cases; n=160 video segments). Compared with the control group, the intervention group showed significant improvements in maximum mouth opening (P=.04), exercise frequency (P=.001), perceived severity (P=.007), perceived benefits (P=.04), perceived barriers (P=.001), self-efficacy (P=.04), cues to action (P=.001), health behavior (P=.03), and fatigue (P=.04). Participants also reported favorable training experiences, with a mean system usability score of 74.3 out of 100.

conclusionsThis telemedicine approach was more effective than traditional methods, improving patient engagement and rehabilitation outcomes while providing a more objective and precise monitoring tool. Future apps may benefit patients with NPC and other head and neck cancers.

trial registrationChinese Clinical Trial Registry ChiCTR2400090305; https://www.chictr.org.cn/showprojEN.html?proj=235073.

Indexed as

Mobile ApplicationsNasopharyngeal CarcinomaNasopharyngeal NeoplasmsAdultChinaConvolutional Neural NetworksFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedTelemedicinebehavioral interventionfully convolutional neural networknonrigid facial action trackingtelemedicine app

Identifiers

PMID41805548
PMCPMC13014076

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
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.