Physical Therapy for Hospitalized Patients With COVID-19 in Isolation: Feasibility and Pilot Implementation of Telehealth for Delivering Individualized Therapy
Year: 2021
Type: article
Study design: Clinical Trial
Abstract: OBJECTIVE: To optimize the ability of hospitalized patients isolated because of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) to participate in physical therapy (PT). DESIGN: This was a prospective quality improvement trial of the feasibility and acceptability of a "hybrid" in-person and telerehabilitation platform to deliver PT to hospitalized adults. SETTING: Inpatient wards of a tertiary care, multispecialty academic medical center in the greater New York City metropolitan area. PARTICIPANTS: A convenience sample of 39 COVID-19-positive adults (mean age, 57.3y; 69% male) all previously community dwelling agreed to participate in a combination of in-person and telerehabilitation sessions (N=39). INTERVENTIONS: Initial in-person evaluation by physical therapist followed by twice daily PT sessions, 1 in-person and 1 via a telehealth platform meeting Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act confidentiality requirements. The communication platform was downloaded to each participant's personal smart device to establish audiovisual contact with the physical therapist. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: We used the 6-clicks Activity Measure of Post-Acute Care (AM-PAC) to score self-reported functional status premorbidly and by the therapist at baseline and discharge. RESULTS: Functional status measured by AM-PAC 6-clicks demonstrated improvement from admission to discharge. Barriers to participation were identified and strategies were planned to facilitate use of the platform in the future. CONCLUSIONS: A consistent and structured protocol for engaging patient participation in PT delivered via a telehealth platform was successfully developed. A process was put in place to allow for further development, recruitment, and testing in a randomized trial.
Language: English
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,000
Awards: Improving Advance Care Planning in Oncology: A Pragmatic, Cluster-Randomized Trial Integrating Patient Videos and Clinician Communication Training, Medical Student Training in Aging and Injury Research, Reducing Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia (BPSD) for Acutely-Ill Persons with Alzheimers Disease and Related Dementias via Patient Engagement Specialists, Alzheimer's care management in minority groups: Identifying warning signs and crisis points in transitions from informal to formal care management in African American and Latino populations
OpenAlex ID: W3133185779