Chest physiotherapy techniques administered by certified specialists to hospitalized patients with COVID-19 in Brazil: A look towards future practice.
Marcia Souza Volpe, Letícia Marcelino Sotelo Dias, Camila Ferreira Leite and 5 others
PMID 37354583WHAT IT FOUND
Brazilian physiotherapists reported using positioning most often for chest physiotherapy in COVID-19.
Certified specialists reported using ventilator hyperinflation more often and some manual or breathing techniques less often than non-certified specialists.
Key findings
01For mechanically ventilated patients, positioning was the most frequently reported airway clearance technique, and chest percussion was the least used.
02For mechanically ventilated patients, certified specialists reported using ventilator hyperinflation more frequently and expiratory rib cage compression less frequently than non-certified specialists.
03For spontaneously breathing ward patients, certified specialists reported using active cycle of breathing technique and autogenic drainage less frequently than non-certified specialists.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The sample was not randomly selected, so it may not represent all Brazilian physiotherapists. Only 61 respondents were certified specialists, which may have made comparisons less reliable. The survey asked respondents to answer as if patients had favorable clinical conditions, so it may not reflect real bedside decisions. The paper reported technique use and reasons for use, not patient outcomes, so it cannot show whether any technique helped or harmed. Three out of five Brazilian regions were inadequately represented. The non-certified group was much larger than the certified group (427 vs 61).
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that certified specialists use more effective chest physiotherapy techniques or that ventilator-based techniques improve patient outcomes. This survey reported only what physiotherapists said they did, not how patients responded.