1. Context
2. Objectives
3. Methods
3.1. Data Sources
| Items | Statement |
|---|---|
| P (population) | Men aged 18 and older diagnosed with any type of sexual dysfunction, including ED, PE, low libido, or sexual dissatisfaction; studies including men with comorbidities such as diabetes, hypertension, and cancer will also be considered. |
| I (intervention) | Telemedicine-based interventions, such as online consultations with healthcare providers, video therapy sessions, and mobile health apps designed to improve sexual health. These interventions may include educational content, lifestyle advice, and behavioral therapies. |
| C (comparison) | Traditional in-person or group treatments that do not involve telemedicine. |
| O (outcomes) | Primary outcomes: Improvements in sexual function assessed using validated tools, including: The IIEF, The PEDT, and self-reported measures of libido; secondary outcomes: Patient satisfaction. |
| Type of studies | Articles on high-quality RCTs regarding telemedicine interventions for MSD |
Abbreviations: ED, erectile dysfunction; PE, premature ejaculation; IIEF, International Index of Erectile Function; PEDT, Premature Ejaculation Diagnostic tool; RCT, randomized controlled trial; MSD, male sexual dysfunction.
| Database | Search Date | Search Strategy | Records Identified |
|---|---|---|---|
| PubMed | Jan 30, 2025 | ["Telemedicine"(Mesh) OR "Digital Health"(Mesh) OR "Telehealth" OR "Remote Health"] AND ["Sexual Dysfunction, Physiological"(Mesh) OR "Erectile Dysfunction"(Mesh) OR "Premature Ejaculation"(Mesh)] AND ["Men"(Mesh) OR "Male"(Mesh)] | 85 |
| Scopus | Jan 30, 2025 | [(telemedicine OR "digital health" OR telehealth) AND ("sexual dysfunction" OR "erectile dysfunction" OR "premature ejaculation") AND (men OR male)] | 78 |
| WOS | Jan 30, 2025 | [(telemedicine OR "digital health" OR telehealth) AND ("sexual dysfunction" OR "erectile dysfunction" OR "premature ejaculation") AND (men OR male)] | 62 |
| Science Direct | Jan 30, 2025 | (telemedicine AND "sexual dysfunction" AND men) | 18 |
| Google Scholar | Jan 30, 2025 | telemedicine "sexual dysfunction" men | 25 |
| SID | Jan 30, 2025 | ("Telemedicine" OR "Digital Health") AND ("Sexual Dysfunction" OR "Erectile Dysfunction") AND ("Men" OR "Males") | 12 |
| Magiran | Jan 30, 2025 | ("Telemedicine" AND "Sexual Dysfunction" AND "Men") | 6 |
Abbreviation: SID, The Society for Information Display; WOS, Web of Science.
| Author Name, Country (Publication Year) (Reference) | Design | No. of Participants | Intervention | Control Group | Intervention Duration | Intervention Provider | Follow-up | Outcome | Main Findings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kliesch et al., Germany (2024) (39) | RCT | 241 | Digital health application (EDDIG study) | Continue current ED management (control group) | 12 wk | Physicians | At baseline and end of study | Erectile function, quality of life, patient activation | Participants who received the intervention experienced significant enhancements in erectile function (measured by IIEF-5), overall quality of life (QOL-Med), and self-management capabilities (PAM-13), compared to those in the control group (P < 0.0001). |
| Zarei et al., Iran (2020) (40) | RCT | 70 | Mobile-based educational intervention on sexual-marital life for men with spinal cord injury | Spinal cord injury men | 8 wk | Health specialist | Baseline, 4- and 8-weeks post-intervention | Sexual adjustment, satisfaction, marital satisfaction | Notable increases in both sexual satisfaction and marital satisfaction were observed at 4- and 8-weeks post-intervention (P < 0.001). However, no statistically significant changes were found in marital adjustment at these time points (P = 0.16 and P = 0.25, respectively). |
| van Lankveld et al., Netherlands (2009) (41) | RCT | 98 | Internet-based sex therapy | Waiting-list control group | 3 mo | Sex therapists | Pre-, post-, and follow-up at 3 and 6 months | Erectile functioning, PE, sexual desire, overall satisfaction, and self-confidence | The intervention led to significant enhancements in erectile function (P < 0.05), sexual satisfaction (P < 0.001), and sexual self-confidence (P < 0.05). However, no significant changes were observed in the PE group. |
| Rahimi et al., Iran (2020) (42) | RCT | 60 | App-based group for men with spinal cord injury | Lecture-based sexual education group | 2 mo | Health specialist | Pre-, post-, and follow-up at 6 weeks | Sexual satisfaction | Significant increase was observed in sexual satisfaction in the app-based group compared to lecture-based group (P < 0.05). |
| Schover et al., United States (2012) (43) | RCT | 115 couples | Internet-based CAREss intervention, email contact | Traditional face-to-face counseling | 12 wk | Therapist | Baseline, post-waitlist, post-treatment, 3, 6, 12 months | Sexual function and satisfaction | A notable improvement in sexual satisfaction was observed in the app-based intervention group compared to the lecture-based group (P < 0.05). Significant positive effects on sexual function and satisfaction were found following both internet-based and face-to-face counseling methods (P < 0.05). |
| Wootten et al., Australia (2017) (44) | RCT | 142 | Self-guide online psychological intervention (MRA + Forum) | MRA only and Forum-only | 10 wk | Web-delivered | Pre-, post-, and follow-up at 3 and 6 months | Erectile function, total sexual satisfaction | The MRA + Forum group experienced a significant enhancement in sexual satisfaction (P = .004). Improvements in sexual function and self-esteem were key factors contributing to this increased satisfaction. |
| Fagerkvist et al., Sweden (2024) (45) | RCT | 278 | Self-help, web-based intervention for sexual problems in young adults treated for cancer | Wait-list control | 12 wk | Web-delivered | Pre-, post-, and follow-up at 3 months | Satisfaction with sex life, body image, emotional distress, quality of life, self-efficacy | There was no statistically significant difference in satisfaction with sex life between groups (P > 0.05). However, the intervention group reported significantly lower levels of vaginal dryness and emotional distress compared to the control group (P < 0.05). |
| Optale et al., Italy (2020) (46) | RCT | 35 (IG = 17, CG = 18) | Mobile coaching app exercises | TAU | 15 sessions daily | Smartphone-delivered | Pre- and post-assessments | PE | The app group showed significant improvements in both the PE Diagnostic Tool and Profile scores compared to the TAU group (P < 0.01). |
| Andersson et al., Sweden (2011) (37) | RCT | 78 | Web-based program with email support | Active control group (online forum) | 7 wk | Therapist | Pre-, post-treatment, and 6 months follow-up | Erectile function | Significant improvement in erectile function in the treatment group compared to the control group at post-treatment (P < 0.05). |
| McCabe et al., Australia (2008) (47) | RCT | 31 (IG = 12, CG = 19) | Internet-IMI | Control group | 10 wk | Therapist | Pre-, post-, and follow-up at 3 months | Erectile function, marital satisfaction, sexual satisfaction, self-esteem, relationship | The treatment group demonstrated a significant enhancement in erectile function compared to the control group after the intervention (P < 0.05). Additionally, the treatment group showed significant improvements in both erectile function and the quality of sexual relationships (P < 0.01). |
Abbreviations: RCT, randomized controlled trial; ED, erectile dysfunction; IIEF-5, International Index of Erectile Function-5; QOL-Med, Quality of Life Questionnaire-Medical Version; PAM-13, patient activation measure-13; PE, premature ejaculation; MRA, mindfulness-based relaxation approach; TAU, treatment as usual; IMI, internet-mobile intervention.
3.2. Study Selection
3.3. Screening Method and Removal of Irrelevant Articles
3.4. Data Extraction
3.5. Quality Assessment
| Studies | CASP Questions | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Q5 | Q6 | Q7 | Q8 | Q9 | Q10 | Q11 | |
| (Kliesch et al., 2024) (39) | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| (Zarei et al., 2020) (40) | Y | Y | Y | Y | N | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| (van Lankveld et al., 2009) (41) | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| (Rahimi et al., 2020) (42) | Y | Y | Y | Y | N | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| (Schover et al, 2012) (43) | Y | Y | Y | Y | N | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| (Wootten et al., 2017) (44) | Y | Y | Y | Y | N | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| (Fagerkvist et al., 2024) (45) | Y | Y | Y | Y | N | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| (Optale et al., 2020) (46) | Y | Y | Y | Y | N | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| (Andersson et al., 2011) (37) | Y | Y | Y | Y | N | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| (McCabe et al., 2008) (47) | Y | CT | Y | Y | N | Y | Y | Y | CT | Y | Y |
Abbreviation: CASP, Critical Appraisal Skills Programme.
a Record ‘Yes’, ‘No’, or ‘Can’t tell’ in response to the questions.

