Long-term outcomes following a pulmonary telerehabilitation trial for people with respiratory post-acute sequelae of COVID: a 12-month follow-up study.

Abstract

To determine whether changes in physical and psychological outcomes occurred in the 12 months following completion of a randomized controlled trial comparing a 4-week pulmonary telerehabilitation programme with a control group of usual care in people with respiratory post-acute sequelae of COVID. This was a prospective, observational, multi-site, assessor-blinded study. 1-minute sit-to-stand test. 5-repetition sit-to-stand test; Montreal Cognitive Assessment; COVID-19 Yorkshire Rehabilitation Scale; COPD Assessment Test; 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey; Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale; Fatigue Severity Scale; and the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale. All outcomes were assessed at baseline and 12 months following randomized controlled trial participation. All participants were analysed as a single group at 12 months, given there were no significant differences in the randomized controlled trial. Of 50 participants enrolled in the randomized controlled trial, 29 (58%) participated in the 12-month follow-up. Compared with baseline, at the 12-month follow-up there was no statistically significant improvement in the primary outcome of the 1-min sit-to-stand test (1.5 points, CI: -1.3 to 4.2), yet statistically significant differences in the 5-repetition sit-to-stand test (-1.4 seconds CI: -2.7 to -0.1), COPD Assessment Test (-4.1 points CI: -6.8 to -1.4), and some domains of SF-36 and COVID-19 Yorkshire Rehabilitation Scale. This study demonstrated that people reporting respiratory post-acute sequelae of COVID experienced some recovery at 12 months, despite not improving initially during a 4-week pulmonary telerehabilitation programme or control period.