Table 3.
Summary of characteristics of all included studies
| Reference | Study goals | Telerehabilitation approach | Study results | Study conclusions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| [25](2020, Saudi Arabia) | The effects of an Arabic smartphone application on adherence to home exercise programs and the effectiveness of these programs on pain, physical function, and muscle strength of the lower extremities in elderly women with osteoarthritis of the knee | Smartphone application | The intervention group was more committed to home exercise programs (P=002) and reported a significant reduction in pain (P=015) | A mobile phone-based app with motivational and engaging features can increase adherence to HEPs in patients with knee OA. Mobile phone-based applications supported by attractive and motivational features can be an effective strategy to increase HEP adherence among elderly with knee OA |
| [26](2020, Australia) | Evaluation of telephone exercise recommendations and physiotherapist supportive intervention for people with knee OA | Telephone consultation with physiotherapist consultation to receive a personal plan | At 6 months, exercise counseling and support improved performance (mean difference 4.7), but overall pain did not improve (0.7). At 12 months, most results were similar between groups | Exercise advice and physical therapist support over the phone improved the physical performance of patients with knee OA, but the joint outcome of knee pain at 6 months was not sufficient. Functional benefits were not maintained at 12 months. The clinical significance of this effect is unclear |
| [27](2021, Taiwan) | Evaluation of the effects of nutrition-based resistance interventions and telemedicine at home on improving body composition, blood biochemistry, and functional activity of the lower extremities | Diet control plus elastic band exercise group (D+E) via telephone calls or a communication application | After 12 weeks of intervention, the control group (P<0.001) and the intervention group (P<0.001) achieved significant weight loss | A personalized diet control intervention combined with a telemedicine-based resistance training intervention effectively improved body composition, blood biochemistry, and functional activity of the lower limbs in patients with knee OA |
| [28](2018, the Netherlands) | Evaluation of short-term and long-term efficacy of e-exercise in comparison to conventional physiotherapy in people with hip/knee OA | Online mobile application | No significant difference in initial outcomes was found between the e-exercise group and the conventional physiotherapy group | The combined intervention, e-exercise, was no more effective than conventional physical therapy in subjects with hip/knee OA. However, within-group differences showed that both interventions were significantly effective with regard to physical function and most secondary outcomes immediately after treatment and after 12 months. Reducing face-to-face meetings may lead to lower health-care costs |
| [29](2018, Australia) | Evaluation of the effect of an Internet-based intervention on changes in pain and physical function in people with OA of the knee | Internet training + online interactive automated pain-coping skills training program | The intervention group had significantly more pain reduction at 3 months than the control group (P=0.02) | Patients who were employed and had higher self-efficacy at baseline were more likely to experience greater improvement in pain at 3 months after an Internet-based exercise, education, and pain-coping skills program. The results support the effectiveness of Internet-based care for a wide range of people with knee OA, but future confirmatory research is needed |
| [30](2017, Australia) | Investigate whether simultaneous telephone coaching improves the clinical effectiveness of a physiotherapist-prescribed home-based physical activity program for knee OA | Five 30-min consultations with a physiotherapist + telephone coaching sessions | Change in pain and physical function at 6 months did not differ between groups. However, both groups showed clinically relevant improvements. Some secondary outcomes related to physical activity and exercise behavior favored coaching at 6 months, but not overall at 12 or 18 months. There were no between-group differences in most other outcomes | Adding concurrent telephone coaching did not increase the pain and performance benefits of a physical therapist-administered home-based physical activity program. However, a mobile phone program improved patient adherence |
| [31](2017, Iran) | Comparison of the efficacy of telerehabilitation to OBPT in patients with knee OA | Telerehabilitation (pamphlet containing descriptions and pictures detailing and phone call) | There was no significant difference between telerehab and OBPT groups in any of the studied scales | Telerehabilitation program is as effective as OBPT in improving the function of patients with knee OA. Due to the much lower time and cost involved in telerehabilitation, this program is recommended for the older population living in remote locations |
| [32](2018, the USA) | Comparison of the effectiveness of physical therapy (evidence-based approach) and IBET, each vs a WL control, among individuals with knee OA | IBET | Similarly, at 12 months, the mean differences compared to WL were not statistically significant for either group. IBET was noninferior to physical therapy at both time points | There was no significant difference between the investigated outcomes in the two groups. Further studies are needed to investigate strategies to maximize the benefits of exercise-based interventions for patients with knee OA |
IBET=Internet-based exercise training, OA=osteoarthritis, OBPT=office-based physical therapy, WL=waitlist, HEPs=Home-based exercise programs