Effectiveness of Telephysiotherapy in Improving Older Adults’ Physical and Psychological Outcomes: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Abstract

(1) Objective: to investigate the effectiveness of telephysiotherapy compared with traditional rehabilitation for elderly patients and determine the factors impacting its efficacy. (2) Method: Five online databases (PubMed, Google Scholar, Scopus, Web of Science, and Cochrane) were reviewed up to 31 July 2023. The search included the literature in English from 2014 to 2023, to capture the latest practices in telephysiotherapy for elderly patients. Data from all qualified studies were independently extracted by two authors, quantifying effect size to reflect treatment performance. (3) Results: 222 records from 19 articles were analyzed. The effect size for telephysiotherapy was 0.350 (95% C.I. = 0.283–0.416; p < 0.01). The standardized mean differences for physical and psychological outcomes were 0.406 (95% C.I. = 0.325–0.488; p < 0.01) and 0.223 (95% C.I. = 0.110–0.336; p < 0.01), respectively. (4) Conclusions: Telephysiotherapy was more effective than traditional rehabilitation, significantly improving the physical and psychological status of elderly patients. The factors influencing the effectiveness of telephysiotherapy were intervention type, intervention duration, outcome, and gender.