Open AccessAn Improvised Pulmonary Telerehabilitation Program for Postacute COVID-19 Patients Would Be Feasible and Acceptable in a Low-Resource Setting
Author(s) -
Fanuel Meckson Bickton,
Enock Chisati,
Jamie Rylance,
Ben Morton
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
american journal of physical medicine and rehabilitation
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.701
H-Index - 101
eISSN - 1537-7385
pISSN - 0894-9115
DOI - 10.1097/phm.0000000000001666
Subject(s) - telerehabilitation , medicine , pulmonary rehabilitation , rehabilitation , physical therapy , covid-19 , population , physical medicine and rehabilitation , telemedicine , intensive care medicine , health care , disease , pathology , infectious disease (medical specialty) , economics , economic growth , environmental health
Postacute COVID-19 patients are at risk of long-term functional impairment, and the rehabilitation community is calling for action preparing for a "tsunami of rehabilitation needs" in this patient population. In the absence of standard guidelines and local evidence, a 3-wk pulmonary telerehabilitation program was successfully delivered to a postacute severe COVID-19 patient in Malawi. The patient experienced persistent dyspnea and fatigue, with a remarkable impact on his health status. On the final assessment, all his respiratory severity scores had fallen by more than their thresholds for clinical significance. He reported no continued or new complaints, was walking longer distances, had returned to work, and was discharged from follow-up. Our case shows that an improvised pulmonary telerehabilitation program for postacute COVID-19 patients could be feasible and acceptable in a low-resource setting. Benefits include reducing risk of transmission and use of personal protective equipment.