Digital tools may help sustain exercise therapy benefits

Digital maintenance interventions may help people with chronic conditions stay physically active after formal exercise therapy ends. An umbrella review of 136 trials found moderate confidence that such strategies support health-related quality of life for patients with cardiovascular or chronic respiratory disease.

Maintenance interventions appeared effective for maintaining health-related quality of life based on evidence from 2,255 participants with cardiovascular disease or chronic respiratory disease. Confidence in this finding was rated as moderate. For physical activity, the interventions may help based on data from 443 participants with cardiovascular disease, though confidence was low. They may also help maintain physical function based on 1,164 participants with chronic respiratory disease, again with low confidence.

Digital vs in-person approaches compared

Digital tools show some promise for supporting physical activity after therapy. Digital maintenance interventions, such as SMS, phone calls, apps, and wearables, were found to help maintain physical activity based on 897 participants with cardiovascular disease or knee and hip osteoarthritis. Confidence in this evidence remains low.

In-person booster interventions were the least studied type. No convincing evidence of their effects was found. The evidence for these face-to-face methods remains limited and uncertain.

Clinical implications and evidence gaps

Clinicians may consider implementing maintenance interventions after exercise therapy to sustain benefits. Simple digital support strategies like SMS, phone calls, apps, and wearables could help people stay physically active. The study highlights significant evidence gaps for maintenance interventions in other common chronic conditions beyond the four studied.

More research is needed for other conditions and for in-person methods. The current findings primarily apply to cardiovascular disease, chronic respiratory disease, osteoarthritis, and chronic low back pain.

Study scope and methodology

The analysis was an umbrella review published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine in 2026. Researchers conducted their search in August 2024 across three international scientific databases. They identified 19 relevant systematic reviews, which together comprised 136 randomised trials.

The trials included participants across four key chronic conditions. The breakdown of unique trials is as follows:

Clinicians may consider implementing these interventions after exercise therapy to sustain benefits in health-related quality of life, physical activity, and physical function.