Home-based rehabilitation in interstitial lung disease: picturing the present and drawing the future through a systematic review of the literature

Background Rehabilitation represents a key nonpharmacological treatment for patients with interstitial lung diseases (ILDs). As a consequence of improvement in technologies and social distancing in the SARS-CoV-2 era, a growing body of evidence demonstrated the effectiveness of tele-rehabilitation programmes for chronic respiratory diseases. Methods We conducted a systematic review to identify randomised controlled trials (RCTs) on telerehabilitation in ILD and extended the search to ongoing trials. Results Throughout our research, we identified four RCTs describing home rehabilitation in ILD. All RCTs were heterogenous small trials. Thus, a meta-analysis could not be performed, and data were reported in a descriptive way. The primary outcomes of the RCTs analysed included both physical and functional measures. We also identified through ClinicalTrials.gov four ongoing clinical trials investigating pulmonary rehabilitation in ILD with a considerable degree of heterogeneity regarding the populations included. In our systematic review, we also highlighted the key pillars for future trials in the field. Conclusion Potential treatment trajectories on outcomes of ILD patients related to the implementation of tele-rehabilitation are also discussed.