Introduction: Type 2 diabetes mellitus is a widespread non-communicable disease that represents a major public health problem. Standard healthcare services, which involve regular visits to healthcare institutions, are time-consuming and often inflexible for patients, especially those living in remote areas. The covid-19 pandemic has further emphasized the need for alternative solutions, leading to an increased use of telehealth services. Telehealth is the use of communications technologies to provide healthcare from a distance, which improves access to different health services and reduces burden on healthcare institutions. Purpose: To determine the effectiveness of telehealth services, especially telenursing in the management/self-managment of type 2 diabetes. Methods: An English literature review was conducted. We included randomised controlled trials that were fully accessible in full text to University of Ljubljana members. The literature was searched in the bibliographic databases CINAHL Ultimate, ScienceDirect, Medline with keywords related to the effectiveness of different methods of telehealth services, in particular telenursing. Eight articles published between 2014 and 2024 were included in the analysis. Results: Studies conducted in countries such as the USA, Iran, and Norway covered a wide range of telehealth interventions, including nurse-led phone calls and mobile applications, across different settings and patient groups. Telenursing was found to improve outcomes in the management/self-management of type 2 diabetes, reducing body mass index and glycated haemoglobin levels. Discussion and conclusion: Telehealth services have proven to be an effective tool in the management/self-management of type 2 diabetes. Most studies indicate that telephone follow-ups by nurses significantly reduce hemoglobin A1c levels and body mass index in patients with type 2 diabetes. In contrast, some studies have shown that telephone follow-ups alone has only a short-term effect on improving glycaemia. The combination of mobile apps and telephone follow-ups further contributes to improved long-term treatment outcomes. Despite the positive results, there is a need for further research to confirm the long-term effectiveness of telenursing. It would be important to investigate how effective telehealth approaches are in managing/self-managing type 2 diabetes in the Slovenian region and the education of nurses in this area.
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