Web-based pulmonary telehabilitation: a systematic review.
Manuel Ayala-Chauvin, Fernando A Chicaiza, Patricia Acosta-Vargas, Janio Jadan, Verónica Maldonado-Garcés, Esteban Ortiz-Prado, Gloria Acosta-Vargas, Mayra Carrión-Toro, Marco Santórum, Mario Gonzalez-Rodriguez, Camila Madera, Wilmer Esparza
Author Information
Manuel Ayala-Chauvin: Centro de Investigación en Ciencias Humanas y de la Educación-CICHE, Facultad de Ingenierías, Ingeniería Industrial, Universidad Tecnológica Indoamérica, Ambato, Tungurahua, Ecuador. mayala5@indoamerica.edu.ec.
Fernando A Chicaiza: Centro de Investigación en Ciencias Humanas y de la Educación-CICHE, Facultad de Ingenierías, Ingeniería Industrial, Universidad Tecnológica Indoamérica, Ambato, Tungurahua, Ecuador. fachicaiza@indoamerica.edu.ec.
Patricia Acosta-Vargas: Facultad de Ingeniería y Ciencias Aplicadas, Universidad de las Américas, Quito, Pichincha, Ecuador. patricia.acosta@udla.edu.ec. ORCID
Janio Jadan: Centro de Investigación en Mecatrónica y Sistemas Interactivos-MIST, Facultad de Ingenierías, Ingeniería Industrial, Universidad Tecnológica Indoamérica, Ambato, Tungurahua, Ecuador.
Verónica Maldonado-Garcés: Facultad de Psicología, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador, Quito, Pichincha, Ecuador.
Esteban Ortiz-Prado: Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad de las Américas, Quito, Pichincha, Ecuador.
Gloria Acosta-Vargas: Facultad de Medicina, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador, Quito, Pichincha, Ecuador.
Mayra Carrión-Toro: Facultad de Ingeniería de Sistemas, Escuela Politécnica Nacional, Quito, Pichincha, Ecuador.
Marco Santórum: Facultad de Ingeniería de Sistemas, Escuela Politécnica Nacional, Quito, Pichincha, Ecuador.
Mario Gonzalez-Rodriguez: Facultad de Ingeniería y Ciencias Aplicadas, Universidad de las Américas, Quito, Pichincha, Ecuador.
Camila Madera: Facultad de Enfermería, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador, Quito, Pichincha, Ecuador.
Wilmer Esparza: Facultad de Enfermería, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador, Quito, Pichincha, Ecuador.
Web-based pulmonary telerehabilitation (WBPTR) can serve as a valuable tool when access to conventional care is limited. This review assesses a series of studies that explore pulmonary telerehabilitation programmes delivered via web-based platforms. The studies involved participants with moderate to severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Of the 3190 participants, 1697 engaged in WBPTR platforms, while the remaining 1493 comprised the control groups. Sixteen studies were included in the meta-analysis. Web-based pulmonary telerehabilitation led to an increase in daily step count (MD 446.66, 95% CI 96.47 to 796.86), though this did not meet the minimum clinically important difference. Additionally, WBPTR did not yield significant improvements in the six-minute walking test (MD 5.01, 95% CI - 5.19 to 15.21), health-related quality of life as measured by the St. George's Respiratory Questionnaire (MD - 0.15, 95% CI - 2.24 to 1.95), or the Chronic Respiratory Disease Questionnaire (MD 0.17, 95% CI - 0.13 to 0.46). Moreover, there was no significant improvement in dyspnoea-related health status, as assessed by the Chronic Respiratory Disease Questionnaire (MD - 0.01, 95% CI - 0.29 to 0.27) or the modified Medical Research Council Dyspnoea Scale (MD - 0.14, 95% CI - 0.43 to 0.14). Based on these findings, this review concludes that WBPTR does not offer substantial advantages over traditional care. While slight improvements in exercise performance were observed, no meaningful enhancements were noted in dyspnoea or quality of life metrics. Overall, WBPTR remains a complementary and accessible option for managing and monitoring COPD patients. However, further research and innovation are required to improve its efficacy and adapt it to various clinical environments.
References
Crit Care Med. 2011 Jan;39(1):112-8
[PMID: 21037472]
