Feasibility of a blended therapy approach in the treatment of patients with inflammatory myopathies.

The study lacked a control group, so it is impossible to determine if the app or the face-to-face physiotherapy drove the outcomes or if the changes were due to natural history or placebo effects. The sample size was very small (n=14), limiting the generalizability of the findings. Participants were relatively physically fit at baseline, leading to ceiling effects in strength and function tests which masked potential improvements. The intervention was a single group pre-post design, so causal attribution to the specific components of the blended therapy is not possible. Volunteer bias may have influenced results, as participants interested in technology and exercise may have been more motivated than the general patient population.

The authors declared no competing interests. The study was approved by the Cantonal Ethics Committee of Zurich. There is no mention of specific commercial funding for the development of the Dividat Fit app in the provided text, though it is described as a tablet-based exercise application.

Do not interpret the lack of significant change in muscle strength tests as evidence that the exercise program was ineffective. The high ceiling effects in the participants' baseline strength mean these tests were not sensitive enough to detect improvement in this specific, relatively fit group.