BACKGROUND: People with interstitial lung disease (ILD) want to actively manage their condition; however, the effects of self-management interventions (SMIs) in this population have not been synthesized. This review summarizes the effects of SMIs on health-related quality of life (HRQOL), functional status, psychological and social factors, symptoms, exacerbations, health care utilization, and survival in people with ILD.

METHODS: The protocol of this systematic review was registered (PROSPERO ID: CRD42022329199). Six digital databases were searched in May 2022 with monthly updates until August 2023. Studies implementing SMIs in people with any type of ILD were included. Risk of bias (RoB) and quality of evidence were assessed with the Cochrane tool for RoB assessment and the grading of recommendations, assessment, development, and evaluations. Meta-analysis was used to summarize the results.

RESULTS: Four studies that examined 217 participants (81% male, 71 y old, 91% idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis) were included. SMIs were highly heterogeneous. Meta-analysis showed no difference in HRQOL (standardized mean difference: 0.08 [95% CI −0.21 to 0.37], P .58) nor in the secondary outcomes. No evidence for the effects of SMIs on functional capacity, exacerbations, and survival was found. The quality of evidence ranged from low to very low.

CONCLUSIONS: There is low to very low-quality evidence that SMIs have no effect in people with ILD. However, this conclusion is limited by high methodological heterogeneity. A consensus definition of SMIs is needed to implement more comparable interventions and strengthen results.