Persistent Symptoms and Disability After COVID-19 Hospitalization: Data From a Comprehensive Telerehabilitation Program.
Victor Figueiredo Leite, Danielle Bianchini Rampim, Valeria Conceição Jorge and 4 others
PMID 33711279WHAT IT FOUND
One month after discharge, many older COVID-19 survivors reported persistent symptoms and disability.
ICU patients had worse outcomes than ward patients, including higher rates of breathlessness, pain, and dependence in daily activities.
Key findings
01ICU patients had higher rates of shortness of breath during routine activities (45.1%) compared to ward patients (34.5%).
02Dependence for instrumental activities of daily living was more frequent in the ICU group (84.6%) than the ward group (74.5%).
03Referral rates to occupational therapy were low (1%) despite high reported dependence for activities of daily living (29.7%) and instrumental activities (76.6%).
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
No baseline data on disability or symptoms prior to hospitalization, so it is impossible to know how much of the reported disability is new versus pre-existing. Data relied entirely on self-reporting via telephone, which the authors note often underestimates physical disability. No control group of individuals hospitalized for other conditions, so findings cannot be attributed specifically to COVID-19 versus general hospitalization effects. The study did not assess fatigue, which is a common persistent symptom. Physical distancing measures during the pandemic may have artificially inflated dependence scores for IADLs like shopping and transportation.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the high dependence rates as solely caused by COVID-19. The study lacked baseline data, meaning many participants may have had pre-existing disabilities. Additionally, self-reported measures often underestimate true physical limitation, so actual disability rates may be higher than reported.