Acute Rehabilitation in the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Case Report of Physical Therapy Perspectives From the Front Line

Abstract

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) or COVID-19 has grown to become a global pandemic. Although much has been learned about the virus, the complete impact is still not fully understood. This highly infectious pathogen can cause multiple complications in infected individuals, leading to impairments and functional limitations. To date, there has been limited literature available to describe the rehabilitation needs of patients with COVID-19. New York City (NYC) was initially identified as the United States epicenter, where various health system faced unique considerations when managing patients with COVID-19. The purpose of this article was to share the clinical perspectives of the acute physical therapy (PT) team working in one of the large health system in NYC. The report will describe the role PT played in the evaluation, assessment, and treatment of patients with COVID-19 as they navigated the acute hospital setting.

Hospital-treated serious and invasive aspergillosis and candidiasis infections during the COVID-19 pandemic: a retrospective analysis of Hospital Episode Statistics data from England

“…During the pandemic, increased use of codes for viral screening; COVID-19; COVID-19, virus identified; and respiratory comorbidities would be expected (see table 1). The appearance of other physical therapy, renal failure (a known complication of COVID-19) and increased use of oral anticoagulants for patients with aspergillosis is unsurprising, as renal tropism and coagulopathies are known to develop in patients with COVID-19, as well as a requirement for rehabilitation;25 26 28–36 however, it is notable that these appeared in the top 15 codes for aspergillosis but not for candidiasis.…”

The Impact of COVID-19 on Interprofessional Collaborative Practice Through the Lens of Acute Care Physical Therapists

“…9 A key to understanding the effect of COVID-19 on health care and IPCP is capturing the lived experiences of health care providers working on the front lines with patients during the pandemic, 5 including physical therapists who have unique knowledge and skills that equip them to provide frontline services to patients infected with COVID-19. [10][11][12][13] In a cross-sectional survey completed by 420 US physical therapists working with patients with COVID-19, therapists noted a rapid change in their professional role requiring additional information to provide optimal care for these patients. 13 The therapists in this survey also reported a sense of pride of being a member of the team.…”