Imagine you finish a grueling race and just when you think you’re in the clear, you realize you still have a long road ahead. That’s how some COVID-19 survivors feel as they transition from hospital to home. A group of scientists conducted a study to understand the rehabilitation needs of adults recovering from COVID-19, and the impact of standardized measures in their recovery journey. They found that early and individualized rehabilitation was key for patients who were not on mechanical ventilation. The study revealed that participants faced challenges like an increased risk of falls, disability in daily living activities, cognitive impairment, and difficulty breathing. However, after 30 days of recovery, most participants regained independence in mobility and basic daily activities, while still experiencing some disability in instrumental activities and cognitive function. Overall, these findings emphasize the importance of a multidisciplinary approach to tailor rehabilitation strategies that address individual needs and reduce potential complications in COVID-19 survivors. The results offer valuable insights for healthcare professionals in designing comprehensive rehabilitation programs for post-hospitalization recovery. Want to dive deeper into the study? Check out the link below for more details!

BackgroundWhile studies recommend rehabilitation following post-hospitalization recovery from COVID-19, few implement standardized tools to assess continued needs. The aim of this study was to identify post-hospitalization recommendations using an interdisciplinary needs assessment with standardized rehabilitation measures. A secondary aim was to use these tools to measure recovery over a 30-day period.Materials and methodsUsing a 30-day longitudinal design, we completed weekly rapid needs assessments in this convenience sample of 20 people diagnosed with COVID-19 discharged from the hospital to home. We computed summary statistics and used the Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test to assess change over the 4-week course of the study with alpha level = 0.05.ResultsOur sample (65% male, 47% over 50 years of age, 35% White, 37% with a confirmed diagnosis of diabetes, and 47% obese) included no patients who had required mechanical ventilation. Initial assessments demonstrated the majority of our participants were at an increased risk of falls, had disability in activities of daily living (ADL) and instrumental activities of daily living (IADL), mild cognitive impairment, and dyspnea. At the 30-day follow-up, most were independent in mobility and basic ADLs, with continued disability in IADLs and cognitive function.DiscussionIn this sample of patients who were not mechanically-ventilated, early and individualized rehabilitation was necessary. The results of this study suggest patients would benefit from a multi-disciplinary team needs assessment after medical stabilization to minimize fall risk and disability, and to prevent secondary complications resulting from post-hospital deconditioning due to COVID-19.

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