Introduction Although several systematic reviews and meta-analyses have demonstrated the benefits of exercise interventions in older adults with frailty, the potential harm associated with these interventions has not been systematically synthesised. This systematic review aims to examine the adverse events reported in exercise intervention trials involving older adults with frailty and to compare the risk of adverse events between the intervention and control groups.
Methods and analysis Searches will be performed in four electronic databases (PubMed, Cochrane Library, Web of Science and SPORTDiscus) for published trials. Eligible studies will be randomised controlled trials of exercise interventions, including older adults with frailty aged ≥60 years, with frailty identified using a validated method.
Five reviewers and three referees, all with expertise in exercise interventions, will be assigned to three independent review teams to ensure efficient screening. Reviewers will independently screen titles, abstracts and full texts using Rayyan, and then extract trial and adverse event data into an Excel spreadsheet.
The risk of bias in eligible trials will be assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias 2 (RoB-2) tool.
BMJ Open published a clinical update in Research Highlights on 03 Jun 2026.
The item focuses on Adverse events in exercise interventions among older adults with frailty: a study protocol of systematic review and meta-analysis.
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