Cui X, Yin BQ, Chen L. Remote telerehabilitation for frailty management in liver transplant candidates: A feasible yet underutilized strategy. World J Hepatol 2026; 18(1): 114880 [DOI: 10.4254/wjh.v18.i1.114880]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Xu Cui, PhD, Department of Pediatric Surgery, Fujian Children’s Hospital (Fujian Branch of Shanghai Children's Medical Center), College of Clinical Medicine for Obstetrics & Gynecology and Pediatrics, Fujian Medical University, No. 18 Daoshan Road, Fuzhou 350014, Fujian Province, China. 16802937@qq.com
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Hematology
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Letter to the Editor
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This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Jan 27, 2026 (publication date) through Jan 27, 2026
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World Journal of Hepatology
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1948-5182
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Baishideng Publishing Group Inc, 7041 Koll Center Parkway, Suite 160, Pleasanton, CA 94566, USA
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Cui X, Yin BQ, Chen L. Remote telerehabilitation for frailty management in liver transplant candidates: A feasible yet underutilized strategy. World J Hepatol 2026; 18(1): 114880 [DOI: 10.4254/wjh.v18.i1.114880]
World J Hepatol. Jan 27, 2026; 18(1): 114880 Published online Jan 27, 2026. doi: 10.4254/wjh.v18.i1.114880
Remote telerehabilitation for frailty management in liver transplant candidates: A feasible yet underutilized strategy
Xu Cui, Bing-Qian Yin, Liu Chen
Xu Cui, Department of Pediatric Surgery, Fujian Children’s Hospital (Fujian Branch of Shanghai Children’s Medical Center), College of Clinical Medicine for Obstetrics & Gynecology and Pediatrics, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou 350014, Fujian Province, China
Bing-Qian Yin, Liu Chen, Department of Pediatric Surgery, Fujian Children’s Hospital (Fujian Branch of Shanghai Children’s Medical Center), Fuzhou 350001, Fujian Province, China
Co-corresponding authors: Xu Cui and Liu Chen.
Author contributions: Cui X contributed to conceptualization, literature review, writing the original draft, and revising the manuscript; responsible for correspondence; Yin BQ contributed to provided clinical nursing expertise, contributed insights on rehabilitation feasibility and patient adherence, and reviewed the manuscript; Chen L contributed to supervised the study design, critically revised the manuscript for intellectual content, and coordinated correspondence; all authors read and approved the final manuscript. Both Cui X and Chen L are responsible for the academic content and conclusions of this letter.
Supported by Fujian Provincial Science and Technology Innovation Joint Fund Project, No. 2024Y9555; and Fujian Provincial Medical Project for Creating Dual High-Quality Development (High Level and High Standard), No. ETK2025004.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Open Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Xu Cui, PhD, Department of Pediatric Surgery, Fujian Children’s Hospital (Fujian Branch of Shanghai Children's Medical Center), College of Clinical Medicine for Obstetrics & Gynecology and Pediatrics, Fujian Medical University, No. 18 Daoshan Road, Fuzhou 350014, Fujian Province, China. 16802937@qq.com
Received: September 30, 2025 Revised: November 14, 2025 Accepted: December 26, 2025 Published online: January 27, 2026 Processing time: 119 Days and 1.3 Hours
Abstract
This letter reviews Loschi et al’s study evaluating structured telerehabilitation for frail cirrhotic liver transplant candidates, which fills a critical pre-transplant care gap. The video-based program, using low-cost tools and asynchronous sessions, improved liver frailty index reduction and function in adherent patients (29.8%) although a high attrition rate (70%) highlighted engagement challenges. Limitations include a small, non-randomized sample, mixed frailty subgroups, and unexplored long-term effects. Future directions emphasize hybrid models, patient-centered barrier analysis, and policy-driven frailty screening. This work advances digital health for cirrhosis; however, larger trials are needed to optimize outcomes.
Core Tip: This letter commends Loschi et al’s tele-rehabilitation study for frail cirrhotic transplant candidates (low-resource focus, low-tech cost-effectiveness, adherent patient improvements) while noting key challenges (high attrition, unaddressed frailty heterogeneity, lack of real-time biomarkers). It proposes artificial intelligence-driven personalization, wearable applications, and a three-tiered intervention, urging advancement of telehealth to precision care.
