Acute respiratory failure requiring invasive mechanical ventilation is associated with
significant mortality rates. Furthermore, survivors often develop new physical, mental,
and cognitive disabilities, as well as worsening clinical conditions, which can
significantly impair their health-related quality of life. COVID-19 remains a notable
cause of acute respiratory failure and long-term disabilities,6 with the added potential
to cause persistent symptoms regardless of the infection's initial severity. Although the
incidence of SARS-CoV-2-related respiratory failure has declined with the widespread
adoption of vaccination, it persists as an endemic cause of pneumonia, particularly among
patients with significant comorbidities, and is often part of the differential diagnosis
in severe cases of acute hypoxemic respiratory failure. While bundles of interventions
including analgesia optimization, sedation minimization, early mobilization, and delirium
prevention, as well as screening for individuals at risk of new disabilities for early
rehabilitation have been recommended to prevent disabilities in critical care patients,
no large randomized clinical trial has yet demonstrated a significant impact on long-term
health-related quality of life. Additionally, the burden of disability following critical
illness is often associated with patients' inability to attend clinic-based follow-up,
and telemedicine may serve as a tool to reduce healthcare inequalities. Accordingly, the
primary objective of this cluster stepped-wedge randomized clinical trial is to assess
the impact of a multicomponent telemedicine-based intervention on the health-related
quality of life of patients with acute hypoxemic respiratory failure requiring invasive
mechanical ventilation, evaluated 90 days after hospital discharge.