Effectiveness of community-based rehabilitation (CBR) centres for improving physical fitness for community-dwelling older adults: a systematic review protocol

Abstract

IntroductionThe increasing ageing population has become a substantial challenge for both healthcare and social services in many Asian countries. There is a high incidence of chronic diseases and comorbidities in older populations, leading to impairments and functional disability. Functional disability may result in loss of independence, reduced quality of life and increased care needs. Community-based rehabilitation (CBR) provides rehabilitation to improve physical, mental and social outcomes. However, there is limited evidence regarding the effectiveness of CBR for improving older adults’ physical fitness. The aim of this systematic review is to synthesise the evidence for the effectiveness of interventions delivered by CBR centres on physical fitness of community-dwelling older adults in Asian countries.Methods and analysisA search on four English databases (CINAHL, Medline, Scopus and Proquest) and two Chinese databases (China National Knowledge Internet and Wanfang Database) will be conducted from inception to 15 November 2021. Both English and Chinese publications will be included. Studies conducted in Asian countries using either experimental or quasi-experimental designs, with any type of control group, will be included. The primary outcomes are physical fitness (capacity to perform activities and tasks). Secondary outcomes are performance of activities of daily living and health-related quality of life. The quality of all included studies will be assessed using the Joanna Briggs Institute standardised critical appraisal tools. Two reviewers will independently complete study screening, selection, quality appraisal and data extraction. Quantitative data where possible will be pooled in statistical meta-analysis. All statistical analyses will be performed using Review Manager (Rev Man) V.5.3 software.Ethics and disseminationEthical approval is not required for this review. Findings of the review will be disseminated electronically through a peer-reviewed publication and conference presentations. This review will provide high-quality evidence for CBR in Asian countries with growing ageing populations. Clinical and research recommendations will provide guidance for policy makers and clinical programmes in Asian healthcare systems. Findings will also inform healthcare systems in other countries that use CBR.PROSPERO registration numberCRD42021292088.

Effectiveness of Community-Based Rehabilitation (CBR) Centers for Improving Physical Fitness for Community-Dwelling Older Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

“…This review was undertaken according to a published protocol [ 38 ] and reported following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines ( Supplementary Table S1 ) [ 39 ]. The review was prospectively registered on PROSPERO (CRD42021292088).…”

Association between functional ability, chronic diseases and lifestyle risk factors in older community dwelling adults: protocol for a prospective observational Chinese cohort study

“…Our previous systematic review found that community-based rehabilitation can significantly improve balance and walking abilities and handgrip strength for older community-dwelling adults living in Asian countries. However, these studies did not evaluate the presence of chronic diseases and only limited research was conducted in China 25 . A Chinese self-reported survey reported that while 11.1% of older adults have been referred to CBR services, less than 1% of older adults actually receive these services 26 .…”

Research on the Design of Health Management System Based on Community Rehabilitation

“…With the rapid development of primary public health measures and medical advances in China, the target population of community-based rehabilitation has begun to expand to include people living in the community who need to receive long-term medical service support and health management, such as people with chronic diseases, the elderly and people with disabilities [1] . Because of the long-term nature of treatment for users receiving community rehabilitation services, in order to effectively maintain the effect of rehabilitation treatment, the use of technologies of smart medical and big data to manage users' health and form an online and offline medical and health model [2] , improve users' awareness of health maintenance will effectively help solve the problem of shortage and unbalanced optimization of medical resources as well as promote healthy communities construction [3] .…”