Effectiveness of a telerehabilitation intervention using ReCOVery APP of long COVID patients: a randomized, 3-month follow-up clinical trial

Abstract

The main objective of this study is to analyze the clinical efficacy of telerehabilitation in the recovery of Long COVID patients through ReCOVery APP for 3 months, administered in the Primary Health Care context. The second objective is to identify significant models associated with an improvement in the study variables. An open-label randomized clinical trial was conducted using two parallel groups of a total of 100 Long COVID patients. The first group follows the treatment as usual methods established by their general practitioner (control group) and the second follows the same methods and also uses ReCOVery APP (intervention group). After the intervention, no significant differences were found in favour of the group intervention. Regarding adherence, 25% of the participants made significant use of the APP. Linear regression model establishes that the time of use of ReCOVery APP predicts an improvement in physical function (b = 0.001; p = 0.005) and community social support (b = 0.004; p = 0.021). In addition, an increase in self-efficacy and health literacy also contribute to improving cognitive function (b = 0.346; p = 0.001) and reducing the number of symptoms (b = 0.226; p = 0.002), respectively. In conclusion, the significant use of ReCOVery APP can contribute to the recovery of Long COVID patients. Trial Registration No.: ISRCTN91104012.

Efficacy and Safety of Respiratory Telerehabilitation in Patients with Long COVID-19: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

“…Only 35 articles were selected for full-text evaluation. After reviewing the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 10 studies were deemed eligible for inclusion in the qualitative and quantitative syntheses [ 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 , 46 ] ( Figure 1 ).…”

“…Among the included articles, four studies [ 38 , 39 , 41 , 46 ] featured patients who had experienced acute COVID-19 infection more than 9 months prior, while four articles [ 37 , 40 , 43 , 44 ] focused on patients who had been infected 3 months prior. Two of the articles did not report the time elapsed since acute infection [ 42 , 45 ].…”

Loss of socioemotional and occupational roles in individuals with Long COVID according to sociodemographic and clinical factors: Secondary data from a randomized clinical trial

“…This was a cross-sectional study analyzing data from the baseline assessment of a randomized clinical trial entitled “Analysis of the symptoms and quality of life of people with a diagnosis of long COVID-19 , and the effectiveness of an intervention in primary care using ICTs” (reference number ISRCTN91104012) [ 22 – 24 ].…”

“…Given that this was a secondary study, the sample size had been calculated to respond to the main objective of a randomized clinical trial (RCT): to analyze the effectiveness of an intervention using a mobile APP on the quality of life of patients with Long COVID [ 22 , 24 ]. The total sample size required in the RCT was 78 subjects.…”

Motivational Interviewing as a Tool to Increase Motivation and Adherence to a Long COVID Telerehabilitation Intervention: Secondary Data Analysis from a Randomized Clinical Trial

“…The main objective of the RCT was to analyze the effectiveness and profitability of a telerehabilitation treatment program using an APP offering therapeutic recommendations and exercises (own development), to improve the symptoms and quality of life of patients with Long COVID, in addition to other secondary variables. 37 , 38 …”