Effect of mobile application types on stroke rehabilitation: a systematic review.
Stephen G Szeto, Hoyee Wan, Mohammad Alavinia and 2 others
PMID 36694257WHAT IT FOUND
Mobile apps showed inconsistent benefits across stroke outcomes.
Therapy apps improved motor paresis and aphasia in small studies, and rehab videos helped exercise adherence. However, neglect, daily living independence, quality of life, and depression showed no clear benefit or mixed results.
Key findings
01Therapy apps demonstrated positive effects on motor paresis and aphasia, though neglect showed no benefit.
02Rehab videos were the most consistent app type for improving exercise adherence, particularly when used for 3 months.
03Effects on activities of daily living, quality of life, secondary prevention, and depression were inconclusive or mixed across app types.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
18 of the 29 included studies were quasi-experimental, which carry a high risk of bias. Most RCTs had small sample sizes, and only four performed a power analysis, raising concerns about underpowered studies. Participants could not be blinded to the intervention, leading to a high risk of performance bias in all RCTs. Study follow-up times were often short (mode of 1 month), which may not capture longer-term recovery trends. The review only included outcomes studied in more than one paper, potentially omitting other relevant effects.
Declared interests
Funded by the Division of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Toronto. No other conflicts of interest were declared.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume mobile apps replace face-to-face therapy. The evidence for aphasia relies entirely on uncontrolled quasi-experimental studies, and many positive findings came from small, short-duration trials with high risk of bias.