The COVID-19 pandemic is having a profound impact on the provision of medical care. As the curve progresses and patients are discharged the rehabilitation wave brings a high number of post-acute COVID-19 patients suffering from physical, mental, and cognitive impairments threatening their return to normal life. The complexity and severity of disease in patients recovering from severe COVID-19 infection require an approach that is implemented as early in the recovery phase as possible, in a concerted and systematic way. To address the rehabilitation wave, we describe a spectrum of interventions that start in the ICU and continue through all the appropriate levels of care. This approach requires organized rehabilitation teams including physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech-language pathologists, rehabilitation psychologists/neuropsychologists, and physiatrists collaborating with acute medical teams. Here, we also discuss administrative factors that influence the provision of care during the COVID-19 pandemic. The services that can be provided are described in detail to allow the reader to understand what services may be appropriate locally. We have been learning and adapting real-time during this crisis and hope that sharing our experience facilitates the work of others as the pandemic evolves. It is our goal to help reduce the potentially long-lasting challenges faced by COVID-19 survivors.

Purpose: This study's primary objective is to determine the current use of outcome measures (OMs) by physical therapists practicing in acute care settings. Secondarily, this study aims to establish whether physical therapists support the development of a core OM set for use in acute care settings. Methods: An investigator-developed online survey (Qualtrics) was distributed to acute care physical therapy stakeholders, including practicing clinicians, educators, and administrators. The survey contained 4 sections with 28 questions: (1) acute care physical therapy practice patterns; (2) use of OMs in practice; (3) the development of a core OM set; and (4) demographic, education, and experience in the physical therapy profession. Descriptive statistics were used to assess response frequency and rationale for the use of specific OMs. Results: A convenience sample of 170 acute physical therapy stakeholders completed the survey. Respondents represented 38 states, with most respondents (n = 153; 90%) practicing in one or more acute care specialty areas. The majority of respondents (n = 145; 83%) reported using an OM more than 50% of the time in their practice. Physical function was the main construct (n = 163; 96%) respondents assessed with an OM. Acute care physical therapists primarily used OMs to track response to interventions (n = 134; 79%) and develop a care plan (n = 91; 54%). Length of time required to complete an OM and its clinical utility were the most common rationales for selecting an OM (n = 150, 88%; n = 147, 86%, respectively). Strong support was found for developing a core OM set for acute physical therapist practice (n = 147; 86%). The preferred methods for the organization of a core OM set, in rank order, were by diagnosis, International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF) framework, domains of health, and settings/location. Conclusion: Most physical therapists participating in this study of practice in acute care reported using OMs in their daily practice. This survey confirms the desire to develop a core OM set with high clinical utility for use in acute care settings.

Patient falls and fall-related injury remain a safety concern. The Johns Hopkins Fall Risk Assessment Tool (JHFRAT) was developed to facilitate early detection of risk for anticipated physiologic falls in adult inpatients. Psychometric properties in acute care settings have not yet been fully established; this study sought to fill that gap. Results indicate that the JHFRAT is reliable, with high sensitivity and negative predictive validity. Specificity and positive predictive validity were lower than expected.

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Progressive, device-assisted early mobilization was feasible and safe in this critically ill patient with hemorrhagic stroke when titrated by an interdisciplinary team of skilled healthcare professionals. Studies are needed to gain insight into the hemodynamic and neurophysiological responses associated with early mobility in acute stroke to identify subsets of patients who are most likely to benefit from this intervention.

Recognizing a need for more guidance on the SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) pandemic, members of the Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Editorial Board invited several clinicians with early experience managing the disease to collaborate on a document to help guide rehabilitation clinicians in the community. This consensus document is written in a “question and answer” format and contains information on the following items: common manifestations of the disease; rehabilitation recommendations in the acute hospital setting, recommendations for inpatient rehabilitation and special considerations. These suggestions are intended for use by rehabilitation clinicians in the inpatient setting caring for patients with confirmed or suspected COVID-19. The text represents the authors’ best judgment at the time it was written. However, our knowledge of COVID-19 is growing rapidly. The reader should take advantage of the most up to date information when making clinical decisions.

Evidence suggests that early physical activity can be accomplished safely in the neurocritical care unit (NCCU); however, many NCCU patients are often maintained in a state of inactivity due to impaired consciousness, sensorimotor deficits, and concerns for intracranial pressure elevation or cerebral hypoperfusion in the setting of autoregulatory failure. Structured in-bed mobility interventions have been proposed to prevent sequelae of complete immobility in such patients, yet the feasibility and safety of these interventions is unknown. We studied neurological and hemodynamic changes before and after cycle ergometry (CE) in a subset of NCCU patients with external ventricular drains (EVDs).Methods: Patients admitted to the NCCU who had an EVD placed for cerebrospinal fluid drainage and intracranial pressure (ICP) monitoring underwent supine CE therapy with passive and active cycling settings. Neurologic status, ICP and hemodynamic parameters were monitored before and after each CE session.Results: Twenty-seven patients successfully underwent in-bed CE in the NCCU. No clinically significant changes were recorded in neurologic or in physiological parameters before or after CE. There were no device dislodgements or other adverse effects requiring cessation of a CE session. Conclusion:These data suggest that supine CE in a heterogeneous cohort of neurocritical care patients with EVDs is safe and tolerable. Larger prospective studies are needed to determine the efficacy and optimal dose and timing of supine CE in neurocritical care patients.

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