Efficacy of an asynchronous telerehabilitation program in post-COVID-19 patients: A protocol for a pilot randomized controlled trial

Abstract

Background About 40% of patients who have had COVID-19 still have symptoms three months later whereas a 10% may experience physical and/or psychological consequences two years later. Therefore, it is necessary to perform preventive interventions when patients are discharged from the hospital to decrease the aforementioned sequelae. The purpose of this pilot-controlled trial will be to determine the efficacy of a rehabilitation program on functional status and psychosocial factors for post-COVID-19 patients when it is delivered through a tele-care platform versus a booklet-based rehabilitation. Methods The estimated sample size will be of 50 participants who have been discharged after COVID-19 and have a level of fatigue equal or greater than 4 on the Fatigue Severity Scale. The primary outcome will be the severity of fatigue. Participants will be randomly allocated to an “asynchronous telerehabilitation group” or to a “booklet-based rehabilitation group”. Treatment in both groups will be the same and will consist of a combination of therapeutic exercise and an educative program. Treatment outcomes will be evaluated the last day of the intervention and at three- and six-months follow-up. Discussion The telerehabilitation intervention appears to be a viable and efficacy option in decreasing severe fatigue and other fitness variables such as strength and aerobic capacity, similar to other traditional rehabilitation formats such as through an explanatory booklet. Clinical trial registration This trial has been prospectively registered at clinialtrials.gov identifier: NCT04794036.

E-Health Interventions for Older Adults With Frailty: A Systematic Review

“…Through educational movies, the therapeutic education recommendations were explained to the patients, giving them health and emotional advice on how to improve their QoL after COVID-19. They reported that telerehabilitation led to a clinical improvement in QoL, particularly in the physical component [ 25 ]. These interventions can provide individuals with access to rehabilitation programs in the comfort of their own homes.…”

Implementation of a telerehabilitation program for oncosurgical patients during the COVID-19 pandemic: perspectives and user satisfaction

“…To continue with pre-rehabilitation interventions in cancer patients during the pandemic, it was necessary to look for other intervention alternatives, which has required a change in the daily functioning of health systems, both in Chile and in the rest of the world. This is how recent studies report that show the implementation of telerehabilitation in different contexts, including oncosurgical patients [8,9] It has been shown to be safe, feasible, well received by patients and offers good results for cancer survivors [8][9][10][11] In our country, there is little evidence in relation to telerehabilitation in oncosurgical patients [4] and even more, from the perspective of patients the information is non-existent. The main objective of this study is to describe the implementation of a telerehabilitation program during the COVID-19 pandemic for patients who are candidates for elective cancer surgery in a low-income Chilean public hospital.…”