SynthesisNeurological sciences : official journal of the Italian Neurological Society and of the Italian Society of Clinical Neurophysiology2026
Efficacy of digital health technologies as adjunctive functional training in occupational therapy for stroke rehabilitation: a meta-analysis.
Synthesis in Neurological sciences : official journal of the Italian Neurological Society and of the Italian Society of Clinical Neurophysiology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Authors and funding
4 authors.
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Abstract
backgroundPost-stroke rehabilitation is essential for achieving functional recovery. Using digital health technologies as adjunctive functional training within occupational therapy offers a promising approach to improve training outcomes. However, a comprehensive and updated synthesis of the efficacy of this adjunctive approach is needed.
methodsUtilizing a systematic search strategy, we identified pertinent randomized controlled trials (RCTs) from eight databases. The emphasis was placed on stroke rehabilitation studies that incorporated both digital health technologies and occupational therapy (search date: May 27, 2025). The primary outcomes assessed included upper limb motor function and activities of daily living, while secondary outcomes encompassed hand function, balance, and cognitive function. Data were synthesized using Stata 18.0, accompanied by subgroup analyses to investigate heterogeneity.
resultsThis meta-analysis included 822 stroke survivors from 18 studies. The mean difference (MD) and its 95% confidence interval (CI) were used to assess the between-group comparison at post-intervention. The results showed that adjunctive DHT intervention led to significant improvements compared to controls in upper limb motor function (MD: 6.46; 95%CI [5.29, 7.63]; P < 0.001) and activities of daily living (MD: 9.52; 95%CI [5.63, 13.41]; P < 0.001). Additionally, benefits were noted in hand function and cognitive performance. However, no statistically significant difference was found between the groups for balance function.
conclusionCurrent evidence indicates that digital health technologies, when used as an adjunctive functional training tool alongside occupational therapy, enhance upper limb motor function and activities of daily living for stroke survivors.Additionally, benefits have been noted in hand function and cognitive performance. However, the impact of these technologies on balance function remains inconclusive.
Indexed as
Identifiers
41826534What Socratic holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.