Effectiveness of cardiac rehabilitation with mHealth through smartphone functionalities: a systematic review protocol.

BackgroundCardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of mortality worldwide, requiring support to manage symptoms and improve prognosis. Home-based cardiac rehabilitation is a realistic resource for this purpose; however, it requires patient’s self-management skills in order to change behaviors. Smartphones are considered mHealth technology and have the potential to provide modalities for cardiac rehabilitation. This systematic review aims to examine these modalities and identify the most effective for improving exercise capacity, quality of life, and patient compliance.MethodsRandomized controlled trials (1994 to 2022) performed with adults with coronary artery disease (post-myocardial infarction, angina, post-coronary artery bypass graft surgery) or heart failure eligible for home-based cardiac rehabilitation (mHealth) will be selected. Studies published in English, Spanish, or Portuguese language comparing rehabilitation-specific mobile apps or smartphone-based features with conventional cardiac rehabilitation will be included. Searches will be conducted in MEDLINE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, EMBASE, LILACS, PEDro, grey literature, and ongoing or recently completed studies. Data and risk of bias will be accessed, and, if appropriate, a meta-analysis will be carried out.Ethics and disseminationNo ethical considerations are necessary, as the results of the systematic review will be based on previously published studies. The dissemination plan of this study aims to encourage health professionals and government policies, through results disclosure in conferences and manuscripts publication.