Document is current

Article History

Received: 5 April 2025

Accepted: 9 September 2025

First Online: 1 October 2025

Declarations

:

: This study has been fully performed in accordance with guidelines and regulations. The study did not require to pass through approval from an ethics committee because this study did not change in any way patients’ therapy plans, as stated by the Decree of the Minister of Health dated February 1, 2022, and by the Regulations of the “National Ethics Committee for trials of public research institutions (EPRs) and other public institutions of national character,” at the Istituto Superiore di Sanità (ISS). Such laws state that ethic committee approval is required in the following circumstances: evaluation of clinical trials under EU Regulation 536/2014 carried out by ISS, EPRs and other public bodies of national character; evaluation of protocols of other studies (including clinical, observational, diagnostic, public health, with medical devices, with the use of human biological material, with environmental ethics implications) carried out by ISS and, possibly, by other EPRs and public bodies of national character; Advice and expression of opinions on ethical aspects of activities and interventions of ISS, in relation to its functions and duties as defined by the Statute of ISS, the Rules of Organization and Operation of ISS, and in compliance with applicable regulations. In the current paper, instead, respondents were involved in this study just to express their anonymous opinions about virtual coaching systems. Participants were recruited online and informed of the purpose of this study and the policy for data collection, processing, and communication (aggregated and anonymously) coherently to the European General Data Protection Regulation indications. Participants expressed their acceptance through an informed consent form, and they cannot be reached by researchers.

: Not applicable.

: The authors declare no competing interests.