Digital health interventions for psoriasis management: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Abstract

Objective To systematically evaluate the effects of digital health interventions on disease severity and dermatology-specific quality of life in patients with psoriasis. Methods We searched PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) through the Cochrane Library, and four Chinese databases (CNKI, Wanfang, VIP, and SinoMed) from inception to April 2026. Randomized controlled trials of psoriasis management interventions in which digital technology was the core component or a major component were eligible. The primary outcome was a PASI-family disease severity score. The secondary outcome was the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI). Standardized mean differences were pooled as Hedges' g using random-effects models. Sensitivity analyses and structured narrative synthesis were also performed. Results Eleven randomized controlled trials involving 1,195 patients with psoriasis were included. Six studies contributed data to at least one prespecified quantitative synthesis. Digital health interventions did not significantly improve PASI-family scores (Hedges’ g : −0.07; 95% CI: −0.28 to 0.14; I 2 = 0.0%) or DLQI scores (Hedges’ g : −0.12; 95% CI: −0.46 to 0.21; I 2 = 59.8%). Sensitivity analyses did not materially change the findings. Narrative synthesis suggested that digital health interventions may improve process-related outcomes, including treatment adherence, disease knowledge, self-management, and access to follow-up care. Conclusions Current randomized evidence does not show that digital health interventions significantly improve skin lesion or symptom severity or dermatology-specific quality of life in patients with psoriasis. Nonsignificant differences should be interpreted as evidence of clinical equivalency rather than treatment failure, given that digital health interventions may maintain standard-of-care results while reducing travel burden, costs, and waiting times. Digital health interventions are better viewed as an adjunct to usual psoriasis care than as a replacement for face-to-face care or pharmacological treatment.

The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Frontiers in Medicine, 2026 · DOI ↗