Exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation is a highly recommended intervention towards the advancement of the cardiovascular disease (CVD) patients' health profile; though with low participation rates. Although home-based cardiac rehabilitation (HBCR) with the use of wearable sensors is proposed as a feasible alternative rehabilitation model, further investigation is needed. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of wearable sensors-assisted HBCR in improving the CVD patients' cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) and health profile. PubMed, Scopus, Cinahl, Cochrane Library, and PsycINFO were searched from 2010 to January 2022, using relevant keywords. A total of 14 randomized controlled trials, written in English, comparing wearable sensors-assisted HBCR to center-based cardiac rehabilitation (CBCR) or usual care (UC), were included. Wearable sensors-assisted HBCR significantly improved CRF when compared to CBCR (Hedges' g = 0.22, 95% CI 0.06, 0.39; I2 = 0%; p = 0.01), whilst comparison of HBCR to UC revealed a nonsignificant effect (Hedges' g = 0.87, 95% CI -0.87, 1.85; I2 = 96.41%; p = 0.08). Effects on physical activity, quality of life, depression levels, modification of cardiovascular risk factors/laboratory parameters, and adherence were synthesized narratively. No significant differences were noted. Technology tools are growing fast in the cardiac rehabilitation era and promote exercise-based interventions into a more home-based setting. Wearable-assisted HBCR presents the potential to act as an adjunct or an alternative to CBCR.

Cardiovascular Research Laboratory Biomedical Research Foundation Academy of Athens 4 Soranou Ephessiou Street 115 27 Athens Greece

Clinical Exercise Physiology and Rehabilitation Laboratory Department of Physiotherapy School of Health Sciences University of Thessaly 35100 Lamia Greece

Department of Nutrition and Dietetics School of Health Sciences and Education Harokopio University 176 71 Kallithea Greece

Department of Public Health Masaryk University Brno Zerotinovo nam 617 9 601 77 Brno Czech Republic

Department of Rehabilitation University Hospital Brno Jihlavska 20 62500 Brno Czech Republic

Faculty of Health University of Canberra Bruce 2617 Australia

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