Effectiveness of Gamified Swallowing Exercises in Adults With Dysphagia: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

This study provides the first quantitative synthesis of the effects of gamified swallowing exercises. The results demonstrate that gamified swallowing exercises improve swallowing function and enhance adherence, suggesting that gamified swallowing exercises are a promising method for swallowing rehabilitation. However, the overall risk of bias across included studies and the suboptimal evidence quality reduce the certainty of the current evidence. Therefore, the findings should be interpreted with caution. The small number of high-quality RCTs, reliance on additional equipment, and limited standardization of gamified interventions further limit clinical generalizability. Future research should focus on large-scale, robustly designed RCTs, while designing etiology-specific games and developing more accessible rehabilitation equipment, such as smartphones, could enhance the overall effects and facilitate the widespread adoption of these interventions in remote and home care settings.