Telerehabilitation is a great alternative to offering care during a global pandemic. 85%of patients with COVID-19 report persistent symptoms up to 8 months after the infection.There are no clear recommendations for post-covid rehabilitation. The aims of the studyare (1) to test the logistic aspect of implanting a hybrid rehabilitation program and (2)to evaluate the acceptability and the potential impact of the program on treatingpatients with functional limitations and persistent fatigue symptoms. It's a pre andpost-study without a control group.
Telerehabilitation is a great alternative to offering care during a global pandemic. 85%
of patients with COVID-19 report persistent symptoms up to 8 months after the infection.
There are no clear recommendations for post-covid rehabilitation. The aims of the study
are (1) to test the logistic aspect of implanting a hybrid rehabilitation program and (2)
to evaluate the acceptability and the potential impact of the program on treating
patients with functional limitations and persistent fatigue symptoms. It's a pre and
post-study without a control group. The intervention will be based on cardiopulmonary
rehabilitation principles and will be administered for 12 weeks. Fatigue, post-exertional
malaise, and functional/exercise capacities will be evaluated.
Other: Telerehabilitation program based on cardiorespiratory principles
The intervention consists of a hybrid program. The participant will receive
rehabilitation sessions in presence (aerobic component of the intervention based on
maximal oxygen uptake measured before intervention by means on a ergospirometric test)
and at home via a telerehabilitation platform. The length of the intervention is 12
weeks. For the in-presence sessions, they are going to be 75 minutes, 2x/week. For the
at-distance sessions, they are going to be 45 minutes, 1x/week in groups of 3 to 4
participants. The intervention will consist of a warm-up, endurance, postural, and
strengthening exercises, cool down and respiratory exercises. An exercise book with final
recommendations is provided to the participants at the end of the intervention.
Inclusion Criteria:
- Living in the community
- Living near Sherbrooke (<50km)
- Having a diagnostic of COVID-19 confirmed (PCR) and post-COVID syndrome (according
to the World Health Organization criteria)
- Being aged between 25 and 65 years old
- Having access to internet at home
- Living with a family member/caregiver or having a telephone or a medical alert
system (in case of emergency)
- Reporting persistent fatigue symptoms according to the Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS)
(score≥4/7)
- Reporting functional limitations according to the Post-COVID-19 Functional Status
scale (PCFS (score ≥2/4);
- Being able to give free and informed consent (adequate understanding of the study
protocol);
- Agreeing to perform a pulmonary function test, an exercise stress test, and an
ergospirometric exercise test (adequate understanding of steps and procedures);
- Having a low exercise capacity and moderate-to-severe cardiovascular risk <7
metabolic equivalent of a task (MET) or ≤9 if significant reduction of self-reported
exercise tolerance according to the stress test performed on a treadmill - Cornell
protocol);
- Having no other potential explanatory causes for fatigue or reduced exercise
capacity according to medical evaluation
Exclusion Criteria:
- Cognitive impairment: Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) ≤24/30
- Inability to perform or understand study procedures
- Medical contraindication
Université de Sherbrooke
Sherbrooke 6146143, Quebec 6115047, Canada
Livia Pinheiro Carvalho, PhD, Principal Investigator
Université de Sherbrooke