Table 2 Characteristics of excluded studies

Bowles 2002 [28]

Population: Diabetes patients with and without foot ulcers. Separate data for foot ulcers not available.

Dobke 2008 [30]

Population: Mixed, including patients with pressure ulcers. Separate data for venous/arterial leg ulcers and diabetic foot ulcers not available.

Edmondson 2010 [41]

Study design: uncontrolled before-after study

Edwards 2009 [42]

Intervention: not telemedicine follow-up

Hands 2006 [31]

Population: Mixed, separate data for venous/arterial leg ulcers and diabetic foot ulcers not provided by author. Author confirmed that telemedicine was used for diagnostic purposes rather than follow-up in the majority of patients.

Kim 2004 [32]

Study design: Prospective cohort study without comparison of exposed (telemedicine follow-up) and non-exposed (no telemedicine follow-up) patients.

Lazzarini 2010 [43]

Study design: Multiple case study

Manuel 2012 [44]

Study design: Uncontrolled before-after study

Nagykaldi 2003 [45]

Study design: Uncontrolled before-after study

Population: Diabetes patients. Separate data for ulcers not available.

Nyheim 2010 [46]

Study design: Qualitative study

Outcomes: Change in knowledge about chronic ulcers among nurses.

Santamaria 2004 [29]

Population: Mixed, including pressure ulcers and surgical ulcers. Separate data for foot and leg ulcer patients not available.