Physical Medicine

Telerehabilitation yields comparable functional gains to face-to-face pulmonary rehabilitation in COPD.

In a systematic review and meta-analysis of 28 studies, telerehabilitation produced significant improvements in functional capacity versus baseline with a small pooled effect. Between-group analyses across 18 trials found telerehabilitation outcomes broadly comparable to face-to-face pulmonary rehabilitation despite moderate heterogeneity. One intervention moderator—type of telerehabilitation support—was statistically significant, implying design elements influence effectiveness. Authors conclude telerehabilitation can expand access for COPD patients but recommend further high-quality trials to optimise long-term effects and delivery. 1

Patient-reported outcome reporting in spinal RCTs shows major methodological gaps.

In 42 RCTs with 8,669 participants, investigators used 25 different PRO instruments, most commonly VAS and ODI. Only 27.2% of trials met high-quality PRO reporting per the ISOQOL checklist. Frequent deficiencies included lack of justification for instrument choice, unclear data collection modalities, and poor handling of missing data. The authors recommend standardizing instrument selection, collection methods, and missing-data approaches to improve PRO validity and comparability. 2

Stroke Riskometer app did not change Life’s Simple 7 scores at 6 months.

In a phase III RCT of 862 adults with ≥2 risk factors, the between-group difference in Life's Simple 7 score at 6 months was 0.03 (95% CI -0.19 to 0.25; P=0.788). Per-protocol results were similar and secondary outcomes showed no meaningful changes in individual risk factors. There was a borderline, nonsignificant increase in physical activity (MET-minutes) in the intervention group. Trialists conclude access to the app alone did not improve overall cardiovascular risk over six months in this population. 3