The swallowing telerehabilitation in COVID-19 (Preprint)

Abstract

UNSTRUCTURED Direct swallowing rehabilitation is not recommended for patients who is positive or suspected for the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2（SARS-CoV-2），because SARS-CoV-2 is extremely infectious and may transmit to the individual performing rehabilitation. Some of patients in the intensive care unit and on mechanical ventilation undergo the swallowing difficulty. To feed normally again and be discharged, an assessment of dysphagia and eventual targeted swallowing training by specialized rehabilitation professionals are provided. We analysis the benefit of telerehabilitation, and we experienced the case with COVID-19 of contactless swallowing rehabilitation using video conference software on the tablet-type devices. Telerehabilitation offers the risk reduction of infection and the prevention the shortage of personal protective equipment. Protecting the medical staff from nosocomial infection of COVID-19 is therefore extremely important, and we suggest telerehabilitation as a useful approach in the swallowing rehabilitation.