Table 2.

Characteristics of the observational studies included in the review.

Author, Year, Country	Method. Quality	Population (Pathology, Age—Years)	Intervention (Type, Sessions, Length, Frequency, Total Duration)	Comparison	Delivery Method	Main Outcomes	Conclusion
Cancino- López et al. (2021) Chile [29]	STROBE Checklist 18/22	50 COVID-19 patients (54.1 ± 15.4)	24 exercise sessions of 50–60 min each (10 min warm up, 25 min resistance training, 10 min aerobic training, 5 min cool down), 2–3×/week, via video calls	(No comparison)	Synchronous	Functionality (Barthel’s index) and physical fitness (2 min step test), elbow flexion—one repetition maximum (1RM), short physical performance battery, hand grip strength, 30 s chair stand, skeletal muscle index, body fat percentage, resting pulse, arterial blood pressure and pulse oximetry	24 sessions of in-home telerehabilitation exercise program promoted the recovery of physical independence, with significant improvements in functionality and physical fitness (p < 0.0001).
De Marchi et al. (2020) Italy [30]	STROBE Checklist 19/22	19 patients with ALS (51.48)	Televisit of 80–120 min, 3×/month for 3 months (multidisciplinary approach: neurologist, dietician, psychologist, physiotherapist)	(No comparison)	Synchronous	Anxiety and depression (HADS and ALSAQ-40), functional status (ALSFRS-R, Barthel scale), exertion (Borg scale) and pain intensity (VAS)	ALS patients managed by telemedicine received a comparable quality of care to those seen via traditional face-to-face methods; this needs to become an integrated platform for delivering high-quality tertiary ALS care.
Lamberti et al. (2021) Italy [31]	STROBE Checklist 21/22	66 patients with peripheral artery disease (PAD) (72)	2 × 8 min daily sessions of slow intermittent in-home walking. Additional regular phone calls to check in on patients	(No comparison)	Synchronous	6MWD, pain-free walking distance, body weight blood pressure, ankle–brachial index	Pain-free walking distance improved significantly (p < 0.001), body weight decreased, while 6MWD, blood pressure and ankle–brachial index remained stable. A structured in-home walking program guided by phone was adhered to by patients with PAD and improved their mobility.
Milani et al. (2021) Italy [32]	STROBE Checklist 19/22	23 patients with physical disabilities (44–70.6)	Physiotherapist-led telerehabilitation program with customized exercises; 1 h sessions 2–3 times/week from March to May 2020, delivered in real time via Skype	No tele-rehabilitation	Synchronous	Feasibility and acceptability	Telerehabilitation was a feasible solution, with high adherence and well accepted by patients.
Negrini et al. (2020) Italy [33]	STROBE 16/22	1207 patients with spinal disorders, (3–18)	Teleconsultations and telephysiotherapy delivered over 3 weeks (15 working days)	Traditional in-person physiotherapy (13 working days)	Mixed	Number of services provided and patient satisfaction	Telephysiotherapy was feasible and allowed health professionals to continue providing outpatient services with a high patient satisfaction, reducing face-to-face contact and the need for travel to a minimum.
Oprandi et al. (2021) Italy [34]	STROBE Checklist 19/22	13 children and young adults with acquired brain injury (ABI) (10.7)	Neuropsychological and speech telerehabilitation sessions (2×/week for 10 weeks)	(No comparison)	Synchronous	Feasibility and acceptability	Feasibility and acceptability of synchronous telerehabilitation for young patients with ABI was demonstrated. Telerehabilitation can be a successful intervention for this population.
Patel et al. (2021) India [35]	STROBE Checklist 16/22	47 patients (23 cardio-vascular, 15 pulmonary, 9 oncology) (61.2 ± 12.5)	Exercise telerehabilitation program (5–10 min warm-up, 20–25 min aerobic and strengthening exercises; plus +30 min brisk walk); 3×/week for 1 month	(No comparison)	Synchronous	6MWT, HRQL (FACIT), daily step count	A short-term, supervised telerehabilitation program yielded significantly positive effects on 6MWT (p = 0.0418) and HRQL (p = 0.0313) in cardiac, pulmonary and oncology patients during COVID-19.
Romano et al. (2021) Italy [36]	STROBE Checklist 20/22	13 patients with Rett syndrome (RTT) (17 y 11 m)	3-month home-based, individualized rehabilitation program of motor activities, remotely supervised via Skype calls	(No comparison)	Synchronous	Gross motor function	A total of 76.9% of participants significantly increased their gross motor function. A high level of usefulness, adherence and general satisfaction was observed. Findings strongly support the implementation of telerehabilitation programs for this population.
Sakai et al. (2020) Japan [37]	STROBE Checklist 18/22	43 COVID-19 patients undergoing rehabilitation (21–95)	n = 18 Remote rehabilitation via videocalls on iPad, with exercises to develop strength, endurance, range of motion and flexibility. Daily 20 min sessions for 1 month	n = 25 In-person rehabilitation with exercises to develop strength, endurance, range of motion and flexibility	Synchronous	ADLs (Barthel Index), mobility scores	The remote rehabilitation group had significantly higher scores in the Barthel Index than the in-person group. Remote rehabilitation is an effective and safe modality and can facilitate rehabilitation in various situations, including patients that can be treated at a distance.
Werneke et al. (2021) USA [22]	STROBE Checklist 20/22	222,680 patients with a variety of conditions (55 ± 18)	Telerehabilitation (6% of all episodes of care)	Traditional in-person visits	Synchronous (60%), asynchronous (21%), mixed (19%)	Physical function, number of visits, patient satisfaction, telerehabilitation frequency and modes	Telerehabilitation rate was 6%, decreasing from 10% to 5% between the second and third quarters of 2020. The rate of patients very satisfied with their treatment was 3% higher for no telerehabilitation. More studies are needed to understand what facilitates and inhibits the use of telerehabilitation by rehabilitation therapists in order to promote it when appropriate.