Applications of Digital Health Technologies in Knee Osteoarthritis: Narrative Review.
Nirali Shah, Kerry Costello, Akshat Mehta and 1 others
PMID 35675102WHAT IT FOUND
Digital tools like apps and video calls often match in-person therapy for pain and function in knee osteoarthritis and replacement.
Blended care with real-time feedback and clinician contact appears more effective than self-directed websites alone.
Key findings
01Blended interventions combining in-person therapy with digital support often achieve outcomes similar to in-person care alone.
02Self-directed digital exercise programs frequently show statistically significant improvements that do not reach clinical significance.
03Interventions using multiple technologies with biofeedback and clinician communication show more promise than single-modality digital tools.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
This was a narrative review, not a systematic review, so findings should be interpreted with caution due to potential selection bias. The review focused only on primary outcomes, missing insights from secondary or exploratory analyses. There was substantial heterogeneity in the types of digital interventions, making direct comparisons difficult. The last search was in February 2021, so newer studies were not included. Few studies directly compared different modes of digital delivery (e.g., app vs. website) or digital vs. in-person care head-to-head.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume all digital health interventions are equally effective. Self-directed websites often failed to produce clinically meaningful improvements, whereas blended models with clinician contact and biofeedback performed better. Also, statistically significant improvements in pain or function did not always meet the minimal clinically important difference.