These results must be considered with caution. There is a lack of confidence in the results due to the small number of included studies and the inability to pool the results due to the heterogeneity of outcome measures. Most exercise interventions produced improvement in one or more of the measured outcomes including pain, range of motion, strength and walking tolerance. Hydrotherapy may be more effective than land exercises for pain relief in adults. Functional exercises such as treadmill walking and partial weight bearing exercises seem to be more effective than static or short arc exercises for improving muscle strength. These findings are consistent with the many non-controlled intervention reports in the haemophilia literature. No adverse effects were reported as a result of any of the interventions. However, some groups used prophylactic factor prior to exercise and other groups studied only subjects with moderate haemophilia. Therefore, the safety of these techniques for persons with severe haemophilia remains unclear.

Introduction For persons with hemophilia, optimization of joint outcomes is an important unmet need. The aim of this initiative was to determine use of ultrasound in evaluating arthropathy in persons with hemophilia, and to move toward consensus among hemophilia care providers regarding the preferred ultrasound protocols for global adaptation. Methods A global survey of hemophilia treatment centers was conducted that focused on understanding how and why ultrasound was being used and endeavored to move toward consensus definitions of both point‐of‐care musculoskeletal ultrasound (POC‐MSKUS) and full diagnostic ultrasound, terminology to describe structures being assessed by ultrasound, and how these assessments should be interpreted. Next, an in‐person meeting of an international group of hemophilia health care professionals and patient representatives was held, with the objective of achieving consensus regarding the acquisition and interpretation of POC‐MSKUS and full diagnostic ultrasound for use in the assessment of musculoskeletal (MSK) pathologies in persons with hemophilia. Results The recommendations were that clear definitions of the types of ultrasound examinations should be adopted and that a standardized ultrasound scoring/measurement system should be developed, tested, and implemented. The scoring/measurement system should be tiered to allow for a range of complexity yet maintain the ability for comparison across levels. Conclusion Ultrasound is an evolving technology increasingly used for the assessment of MSK outcomes in persons with hemophilia. As adoption increases globally for clinical care and research, it will become increasingly important to establish clear guidelines for image acquisition, interpretation, and reporting to ensure accuracy, consistency, and comparability across groups.

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IntroductionAdherence to treatment recommendations in patients with chronic disease is complex and is influenced by numerous factors. Haemophilia is a chronic disease with reported levels of adherence ranging from 17–82%.AimBased on the theoretical foundation of the World Health Organization Multidimensional Adherence Model, the objective of this study was to identify the best combination of the variables infusion frequency, annualised bleed rate, age, distance to haemophilia treatment centre (HTC) and Haemophilia Joint Health Score (HJHS), to predict adherence to treatment recommendations in patients with haemophilia A and B on home infusion prophylaxis in Canada.MethodsA one-year retrospective cohort study investigated adherence to treatment recommendations using two measures: 1) subjective report via home infusion diaries, and 2) objective report of inventory ordered from Canadian Blood Services. Stepwise regression was performed for both measures.ResultsEighty-seven patients with haemophilia A and B, median age 21 years, were included. Adherence for both measures was 81% and 93% respectively. The sample consisted largely of patients performing an infusion frequency of every other day (34%). Median scores on the HJHS was 10.5; annualised bleed rate was two. Distance to the HTC was 51km. Analysis of the objective measure weakly supported greater infusion frequency as a treatment-related factor for the prediction of lower adherence, however the strength of this relationship was not clinically relevant (R2=0.048). For the subjective measure, none of the explanatory variables were significant.ConclusionAdherence is a multifaceted construct. Despite the use of theory, most of the variance in adherence to treatment recommendations in this sample of patients with haemophilia remains unknown. Further research on other potential predictors of adherence, and possible variables and relationships within factors of the MAM is required.

Introduction Several bleeding disorders are characterized by haemorrhage into joints and muscles. These conditions are best managed by interdisciplinary teams that include physiotherapists. In 1997, physiotherapists from haemophilia treatment centres in Canada formed the Canadian Physiotherapists in Hemophilia Care (CPHC). The guiding principles of the CPHC reflect a commitment to evidence‐based practice, education and collaboration. Aim To describe the process used by CPHC to develop evidence‐based clinical practice guidelines to inform best practice, guide decision‐making and help educate physiotherapists, students, and other team members about the physiotherapy management of people with bleeding disorders. Methods We followed the procedures outlined in the American Physical Therapy Association's Clinical Practice Guideline Process Manual (2018). Namely, we selected a working group, determined the scope of the guidelines, performed a literature search, selected and appraised the evidence, drafted the guidelines as practice statements, assigned a strength of recommendation to each practice statement and disseminated the guidelines. Results Thirty‐nine practice statements were developed in nine practice areas. Strength of evidence was strong for two statements, moderate for one and weak for three. The remainder were graded as theoretical or best practice. Conclusion To our knowledge, these are the first evidence‐based clinical practice guidelines that cover all aspects of physiotherapy management of people with bleeding disorders. Some areas, such as exercise and manual therapy, have been well investigated. However, the overall low levels of evidence and low strengths of recommendations highlight the need for more rigorous research with this population.

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Introduction Patients with haemophilia require regular assessments and physical examinations. The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in the rapid adoption of telemedicine to enable virtual consultations and reduce hospital visits. However, the process of virtual consultations is new to many haemophilia clinics. A better understanding of best practices in telemedicine is important to ensure optimal quality of care for patients with haemophilia. Objectives To summarise the current literature on the use of direct-to-consumer telemedicine for patients with haemophilia and to describe the effectiveness and potential limitations of the technology and methods used. Methods A comprehensive search was conducted in MEDLINE and EMBASE databases using terms referring to the concepts “haemophilia” AND “telemedicine” and their synonyms. There were no time or language restrictions. Title, abstracts, and full texts were screened. Included articles involved telemedicine interventions to facilitate clinical services directly between patients and providers without the use of third-party personnel. The primary outcome was the satisfaction of providers and patients. Secondary outcomes included economic considerations and clinical outcomes. Information was extracted based on study-specific, patient-specific, intervention-specific, and outcome-specific data. Results Of the 925 articles screened, six were identified and summarised. Three described telemedicine within the context of COVID-19. Technologies used included telephone calls, videoconferencing, text messaging, and email. All studies involved a multidisciplinary team. Telemedicine in haemophilia care was found to positively impact the patient experience. Providers were satisfied with telemedicine. It was also suggested to be economically beneficial and positively impacted patient outcomes. However, none of the articles reported on how telemedicine was specifically used to perform assessments during the virtual consultation process. Conclusions There is preliminary evidence that telemedicine may be beneficial in haemophilia care. Overall, patients and providers reported high satisfaction with the usage of direct-to-consumer telemedicine. This positive reception warrants improvements in standardisation of reporting and quality of study design to better assess its clinical and economic impact. Developing a standard guideline for virtual consultations would support healthcare practitioners in how to best incorporate telemedicine to improve quality of care.