To evaluate the effectiveness of remote pulmonary rehabilitation in the elderly COPD patients in order to provide evidence-based basis for the clinical practice and promotion of remote pulmonary rehabilitation.

We searched databases including Web of Science, PubMed, Cochrane Library, Embase, CINAHL,China Biology Medicine disc, China National Knowledge Internet, VIP, and Wanfang and selected all randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that reported the effects of telerehabilitation on the elderly patients with COPD. The retrieval time was from the establishment of the database to April 26, 2023. Meta-analysis was performed by RevMan 5.3.

A total of 24 RCTs involving 2 980 patients with COPD were finally included. Meta-analysis results showed that telerehabilitation in the elderly patients with COPD can improve the lung function (FEV₁/FVC) (MD=2.09, 95% CI 0.30-3.89, P<0.05), quality of life (MD=-0.66, 95% CI -1.05--0.26, P<0.05), anxiety (MD=-0.69, 95% CI -1.32--0.05, P<0.05) and depression (MD=-0.81, 95% CI -1.59--0.04, P<0.05), and the subgroup for the lung function (FEV₁/FVC) of the elderly patients with COPD emphasized that physical activity, intervention time ≤24 weeks, intervention frequency 1-3 times per week, and use of network platform, there were significant differences between those subgroups (all P<0.01). But there was no statistically significant difference in improving the exercise capacity (MD=-1.54, 95% CI -14.83-11.75, P>0.05).

Telerehabilitation in pulmonary can be considered a supplementary intervention for improving the lung function (FEV₁/FVC), the quality of life and the psychological condition on the elderly patients with COPD.

Aged; Pulmonary disease, chronic obstructive; Meta-analysis; Telerehabilitation