Effectiveness of Game-Based Solutions in Patients with Total Hip and Knee Arthroplasty: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials

Abstract

The aim of this systematic review of randomized controlled trials was to evaluate the effectiveness of gameful solutions in patients with total knee or hip arthroplasty. The systematic review was performed in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. Studies published prior May 2022 were identified from Medline Ovid, Scopus, Ebsco Databases, Web of Science, and PubMed. The JBI Critical Appraisal Checklist for Randomized Controlled Trials was used to evaluate the quality of the relevant studies published. A narrative synthesis was used to report the results while effect sizes were estimated for different outcomes. A total of 350 records was identified, and 5 randomized controlled trials were selected. Most of the gameful solutions were exergames to support rehabilitation. The findings indicate that gameful solutions have potential to induce positive impact on functional and cognitive performance, however, due to the low number of studies and moderate/weak quality of existing research, the area still lacks assertive evidence. Future research should pay attention to the methodological aspects in order to provide reliable information on the use of gameful solutions in the given context.