Efficacy of tele-rehabilitation in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a systematic review

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has required the use of new technologies to carry out rehabilitation sessions for COP D remotely. The aim of this systematic review was to analyse the available evidence on the efficacy of telerehabilitation in COPD patients. PubMed, WOS, PEDro and Cochrane databases were consulted. The systematic review included nine clinical trials, 55.5% of which display good methodological quality. The most commonly used rehabilitation methods were applications or software for real-time video-calls, visualis-ation of exercises and recording progress. TR was as effective as outpatient pulmonary rehabilita-tion, with greater benefits in functional capacity, self-ef-ficacy, mental health, exacerbations and emergency care visits, offering a cost-effective option with high patient sat-isfaction. The small number of studies and the variety of rehabilitation methods examined limit the value of the evidence obtained.