Session Information
Session Title: AA 2021 Virtual Posters - General Rehabilitation
Session Time: None. Available on demand.
Disclosures: Farah Hameed, MD: No financial relationships or conflicts of interest
Objective: During Spring 2020, New York City was an epicenter for COVID-19 transmission in the United States. The post-hospitalization needs of patients with COVID-19 were not understood and no outpatient rehabilitation programs for this group of patients had been described. We implemented a program across two hospital campuses to treat patients discharged home suffering with persistent COVID-19 symptoms. Our hypothesis was that a virtual rehabilitation program would lead to improvements in strength and cardiopulmonary endurance when compared with no active intervention.
Design: Prospective cohort studySetting : Academic medical centerParticipants : We treated 106 patients discharged home with persistent COVID-19 symptoms between April 24 and July 13, 2020. 44 patients performed virtual physical therapy (VPT); 25 patients performed home physical therapy (HPT); 17 patients performed independent exercise program (IEP); and 20 patients did not perform any active therapy.
Interventions: All patients were assessed initially by a physiatrist. VPT sessions were delivered via a secure HIPAA-compliant telehealth platform once or twice per week. Patients were asked to follow up 2 weeks after initial physician evaluation.
Main Outcome Measures: Primary study outcome measures were the change in lower body strength, measured by the 30-second sit-to-stand test; and the change in cardiopulmonary endurance, measured by the 2-minute step test.
Results: At the time of follow up, 58% of patients in the VPT group and 60% of patients in the HPT group met the meaningful clinical difference (MCD) for improvement in sit-to-stand scores, compared with 17% and 20% of those in the IEP group and no-exercise group. 73% of patients in the VPT group and 50% of patients in the HPT group met the MCD for improvement in the step test compared with 33% in the IEP and no-exercise groups.Conclusions: A virtual outpatient rehabilitation program for patients recovering from COVID-19 resulted in a clinically meaningful improvement in both lower limb strength and cardiopulmonary endurance.
Level of Evidence: Level II
To cite this abstract in AMA style:
Hameed F, Hameed F, Gellhorn A, Palatulan E, Sood V. Outcomes of a COVID-19 Recovery Program for Patients Hospitalized with SARS-CoV-2 Infection in New York City: A Prospective Cohort Study [abstract]. PM R. 2021; 13(S1)(suppl 1). https://pmrjabstracts.org/abstract/outcomes-of-a-covid-19-recovery-program-for-patients-hospitalized-with-sars-cov-2-infection-in-new-york-city-a-prospective-cohort-study/. Accessed May 21, 2025.« Back to AAPM&R Annual Assembly 2021
PM&R Meeting Abstracts - https://pmrjabstracts.org/abstract/outcomes-of-a-covid-19-recovery-program-for-patients-hospitalized-with-sars-cov-2-infection-in-new-york-city-a-prospective-cohort-study/