| Title: | A Clinical Audit to Determine the Outcome of Inpatient Exercise Rehabilitation on Outcomes including Functional Capacity, Dyspnoea and Muscle Strength in Patients Diagnosed with COVID-19 |
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| Author(s): | C Barrett L Pelow |
| Institution: | Physiotherapy Department, St Vincents University Hospital |
| Poster: | Click to view poster |
| Category: | COVID-19 |
| Abstract: | Coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19), caused by SARS-CoV-2, is an acute viral respiratory disease. Characteristic symptoms include fever, cough, fatigue and dyspnoea1. Exercise is an integral component of physiotherapy in the management of respiratory disorders, with greater benefits for community acquired pneumonia than respiratory physiotherapy alone2. There is limited data on the effects of exercise rehabilitation in COVID-19. This audit aims to analyse the outcome of inpatient exercise rehabilitation on functional outcomes in patients with COVID-19. A prospective audit was completed, with data collected and analysed using an excel spreadsheet Five patients aged 78±4 received physiotherapy intervention, including exercise rehabilitation, with outcome measures completed at initial assessment and at one week. The primary outcome measure was the two minute walk test (2MWT) to measure functional capacity. The secondary outcomes were muscle strength measured through five times sit-to-stand, and dyspnoea measured by the medical research council (MRC) dyspnoea scale. Functional outcomes improved in all patients. There was an overall 37% improvement in 2MWT distance, 29% improvement in muscle strength and 47% improvement in dyspnoea. In conclusion, as has been shown in other respiratory disorders2, one week of inpatient exercise rehabilitation improved functional capacity, muscle strength and dyspnoea in older people with COVID-19. 1 Thomas P, Baldwin C, Bissett B, Boden I, Gossenlink R, Granger CL, Hodgson C, Jones A, Kho, M, Moses R, Ntoumenopoulos G, Parry S, Patman S, van der Lee L. Physiotherapy management for COVID-19 in the acute hospital setting: clinical practice recommendations, Journal of Physiotherapy. 2020; 66(2) 2Jose A, Dal Corso S. Inpatient rehabilitation improves functional capacity, peripheral muscle strength and quality of life in patients with community-acquired pneumonia: a randomised trial. Journal of Physiotherapy. 2016; 62:96-102 |
