Telehealth-supported exercise/physical activity programs for knee osteoarthritis: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Telehealth-supported program has been increasingly integrated into chronic disease management, but it is unknown if this benefit applies to populations with knee osteoarthritis. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of telehealth-supported exercise/physical activity programs in individuals with knee osteoarthritis. A comprehensive literature search was conducted in September 2022 on randomized controlled trials investigating the effects compared to a control condition. Twenty-three studies met eligibility criteria, of which 20 studies included in meta-analysis. Telehealth-supported exercise/physical activity programs resulted in reduced pain (g = −0.39, CI −0.67 to −0.11, I2 = 83%), better physical activity (g = 0.13, CI 0.03 to 0.23, I2 = 0%) and better physical function (g = −0.51, CI −0.98 to −0.05, I2 = 87%). In addition, better improvements in quality of life, self-efficacy for pain, and global improvement were observed, but with non-significant improvements for self-efficacy for physical function. These findings suggested that telehealth-supported exercise/physical activity program might be an effective treatment for knee osteoarthritis. Future research with standardized components and wearables should evaluate the effects. ### Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest. ### Funding Statement This study was funded by National Natural Science Foundation of China (81972146; 82002393; 82272599), the Department of Science and Technology of Sichuan Province (2021YFS0004; 2021YJ0424), West China Hospital of Sichuan University (2019HXBH058), and China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (2020M673251). The funders played no role in the design, conduct, or reporting of this study. ### Author Declarations I confirm all relevant ethical guidelines have been followed, and any necessary IRB and/or ethics committee approvals have been obtained. Yes The details of the IRB/oversight body that provided approval or exemption for the research described are given below: pubmed\web of science\ovid I confirm that all necessary patient/participant consent has been obtained and the appropriate institutional forms have been archived, and that any patient/participant/sample identifiers included were not known to anyone (e.g., hospital staff, patients or participants themselves) outside the research group so cannot be used to identify individuals. Yes I understand that all clinical trials and any other prospective interventional studies must be registered with an ICMJE-approved registry, such as ClinicalTrials.gov. I confirm that any such study reported in the manuscript has been registered and the trial registration ID is provided (note: if posting a prospective study registered retrospectively, please provide a statement in the trial ID field explaining why the study was not registered in advance). Yes I have followed all appropriate research reporting guidelines and uploaded the relevant EQUATOR Network research reporting checklist(s) and other pertinent material as supplementary files, if applicable. Yes All data produced in the present work are contained in the manuscript