COVID-19 rehabilitation delivered via a telehealth pulmonary rehabilitation model: a case series

Abstract

International statements have suggested the pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) model as an appropriate rehabilitation option for people recovering from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). In this case series, we present our COVID-19 telehealth rehabilitation programme, delivered within a PR setting, and discuss the management of our first three cases. All patients were male, with a median age of 73 years. Following hospital discharge, the patients presented with persistent limitations and/or symptoms (e.g. breathlessness, fatigue, and reduced exercise capacity) which warranted community‐based rehabilitation. Patients were assessed and provided with an initial six‐week rehabilitation programme supported via telehealth using a treatable traits approach. Patients demonstrated improvements in exercise capacity and breathlessness; however, fatigue levels worsened in two cases and this was attributed to the difficulties of managing returning to work and/or carer responsibilities whilst trying to recover from a severe illness. We found that PR clinicians were well prepared and able to provide an individualized rehabilitation programme for people recovering from COVID-19. In the Australian healthcare context, it is early days in our understanding of the short and longer term rehabilitation needs of those recovering from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) (novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2)). We present the rehabilitation journey of our first three cases, and discuss patient management and outcomes via a telehealth pulmonary rehabilitation model of care