Comparison of group and individual therapy in physiotherapy, occupational therapy, and speech therapy: a systematic review.

INTRODUCTION

This review aimed to determine the effects of (digital) group therapies in comparison to individual therapies within physiotherapy, occupational therapy, and speech therapy.

METHODS

Embase, PubMed and Web of Science were searched until May 2025. RoB 2 and GRADE were used to rate the risk of bias and the certainty of the evidence. Mean differences were used to analyze differences between group and individual therapy.

RESULTS

Eleven studies were included in this review (eight of physiotherapy, two of speech therapy, and one of occupational therapy). The studies cover various diseases and exhibit a high degree of heterogeneity in interventions and outcomes. For 67 of the 76 outcomes, no significant differences were reported between group and individual therapy post-intervention. Group therapy showed better results in five outcomes, individual therapy showed better results in four outcomes. Three studies raised some concerns, and eight studies showed a high overall risk of bias. Certainty grading was (very) low for all outcomes.

DISCUSSION: This review found no clear evidence favoring either group or individual therapy in therapeutic services. The evidence's derivation from heterogeneous low-quality studies with small sample sizes necessitates a careful interpretation of the results. Further research is needed to validate these findings.