In this retrospective study, we used data from the hospital information system (HIS) to evaluate the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on rehabilitation care at the University Hospital of Ostrava (UHO). From March 2020 to December 2021, 5173 COVID-19 cases were hospitalized at UHO. Cases within individual groups and categories are shown in a flowchart. The average patient age was 64.9 ± 16.9 years. The mean BMI value was 30.6 ± 6.8 in the rehabilitated group, which was significantly higher compared to that among the non-rehabilitated cases 29.1 ± 6.9 (p < 0.001). Among the admitted patients, 16.6% required artificial pulmonary ventilation (APV), 1.8% extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), and 11.9% high-flow oxygenation (HF). The days of rehabilitation ranged from 1-102 days. Among all rehabilitated patients, 92.0% (n = 1302) had a hospitalization duration ranging from 1-15 days and 8.0% (n = 114) longer than 15 days. Overall, rehabilitation care plays an important role in providing exercise, mobilization, and rehabilitation interventions to survivors of critical illness associated with COVID-19, enabling the early and functional return to home, and it must, therefore, be integrated into the clinical care of patients with COVID-19.

Department of Epidemiology and Public Health Protection Faculty of Medicine University of Ostrava 703 00 Ostrava Czech Republic

Department of Hygiene University Hospital of Ostrava 708 52 Ostrava Czech Republic

Department of Rehabilitation and Sports Medicine Faculty of Medicine University of Ostrava 703 00 Ostrava Czech Republic

Department of Rehabilitation and Sports Medicine University Hospital of Ostrava 708 52 Ostrava Czech Republic

Zobrazit více v PubMed

Kayambu G., Boots R., Paratz J.D. Physical Therapy for the Critically Ill in the ICU. Crit. Care Med. 2013;41:1543–1554. doi: 10.1097/CCM.0b013e31827ca637. PubMed DOI

Curci C., Pisano F., Bonacci E., Camozzi D.M., Ceravolo C., Bergonzi R., De Franceschi S., Moro P., Guarnieri R., Ferrillo M., et al. Early rehabilitation in post-acute COVID-19 patients: Data from an Italian COVID-19 Rehabilitation Unit and proposal of a treatment protocol. Eur. J. Phys. Rehabil. Med. 2020;56:633–641. doi: 10.23736/S1973-9087.20.06339-X. PubMed DOI

Iannaccone S., Castellazzi P., Tettamanti A., Houdayer E., Brugliera L., de Blasio F., Cimino P., Ripa M., Meloni C., Alemanno F., et al. Role of Rehabilitation Department for Adult Individuals With COVID-19: The Experience of the San Raffaele Hospital of Milan. Arch. Phys. Med. Rehabil. 2020;101:1656–1661. doi: 10.1016/j.apmr.2020.05.015. PubMed DOI PMC

Lazzeri M., Lanza A., Bellini R., Bellofiore A., Cecchetto S., Colombo A., D’Abrosca F., Del Monaco C., Gaudellio G., Paneroni M., et al. Respiratory physiotherapy in patients with COVID-19 infection in acute setting: A Position Paper of the Italian Association of Respiratory Physiotherapists (ARIR) Monaldi Arch. Chest Dis. 2020;90:163–168. doi: 10.4081/monaldi.2020.1285. PubMed DOI

Thomas P., Baldwin C., Bissett B., Boden I., Gosselink R., Granger C.L., Hodgson C., Jones A.Y., Kho M.E., Moses R., et al. Physiotherapy management for COVID-19 in the acute hospital setting: Clinical practice recommendations. J. Physiother. 2020;66:73–82. doi: 10.1016/j.jphys.2020.03.011. PubMed DOI PMC

KNGF Position Statement-v1.0 Final. (0727, February 2) [(accessed on 23 March 2023)]. Available online: https://www.scribd.com/document/464127971/kngf-position-statement-v1-0-final.

Glöckl R., Buhr-Schinner H., Koczulla A.R., Schipmann R., Schultz K., Spielmanns M., Stenzel N., Dewey S. DGP-Empfehlungen zur pneumologischen Rehabilitation bei COVID-19. Pneumologie. 2020;74:496–504. doi: 10.1055/a-1193-9315. PubMed DOI PMC

Andrenelli E., Negrini F., de Sire A., Patrini M., Lazzarini S.G., Ceravolo M.G. International Multiprofessional Steering Committee of Cochrane Rehabilitation REH-COVER action. Rehabilitation and COVID-19: A rapid living systematic review 2020 by Cochrane Rehabilitation Field. Update as of September 30th, 2020. Eur. J. Phys. Rehabil. Med. 2020;56:846–852. doi: 10.23736/S1973-9087.20.06672-1. PubMed DOI

Thomas P., Baldwin C., Beach L., Bissett B., Boden I., Cruz S.M., Gosselink R., Granger C.L., Hodgson C., Holland A.E., et al. Physiotherapy management for COVID-19 in the acute hospital setting and beyond: An update to clinical practice recommendations. J. Physiother. 2021;68:8–25. doi: 10.1016/j.jphys.2021.12.012. PubMed DOI PMC

Felten-Barentsz K.M., van Oorsouw R., Klooster E., Koenders N., Driehuis F., Hulzebos E.H.J., van der Schaaf M., Hoogeboom T.J., van der Wees P.J. Recommendations for Hospital-Based Physical Therapists Managing Patients With COVID-19. Phys. Ther. 2020;100:1444–1457. doi: 10.1093/ptj/pzaa114. PubMed DOI PMC

Goodwin V.A., Allan L., Bethel A., Cowley A., Cross J.L., Day J., Drummond A., Hall A.J., Howard M., Morley N., et al. Rehabilitation to enable recovery from COVID-19: A rapid systematic review. Physiotherapy. 2021;111:4–22. doi: 10.1016/j.physio.2021.01.007. PubMed DOI PMC

Vickory F., Ridgeway K., Falvey J., Houwer B., Gunlikson J., Payne K., Niehaus W. Safety, Feasibility, and Outcomes of Frequent, Long-Duration Rehabilitation in an Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility After Prolonged Hospitalization for Severe COVID-19: An Observational Study. Phys. Ther. 2021;101:pzab208. doi: 10.1093/ptj/pzab208. PubMed DOI PMC

Hu S., Chen C., Yang B., Liu Q., Hu H. Experience of rehabilitation management in public hospital after it was identified as designated rehabilitation hospital for COVID-19 patients: A qualitative study. Front. Public Health. 2022;10:919730. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2022.919730. PubMed DOI PMC

Daynes E., Gerlis C., Singh S.J. The demand for rehabilitation following COVID-19: A call to service providers. Physiotherapy. 2021;113:A1–A3. doi: 10.1016/j.physio.2021.05.004. PubMed DOI PMC

Sheehy L.M. Considerations for Postacute Rehabilitation for Survivors of COVID-19. JMIR Public Health Surveill. 2020;6:e19462. doi: 10.2196/19462. PubMed DOI PMC

Tahtis V., Wilson N., Northfield F., Cook D., Gregory K., Reilly C.C. A demand–capacity mismatch between rehabilitation need and service provision as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic? Early clinical observations from a large teaching hospital in London. Physiotherapy. 2021;113:153–159. doi: 10.1016/j.physio.2021.03.007. PubMed DOI PMC

Wasilewski M.B., Msc S.R.C., Kokorelias K.M., Simpson R., Hitzig S.L., Robinson L. Providing rehabilitation to patients recovering fromCOVID-19: A scoping review. Phys. Med. Rehabil. 2021;14:239–258. doi: 10.1002/pmrj.12669. PubMed DOI PMC

Hameed F., Palatulan E., Jaywant A., Said R., Lau C., Sood V., Layton A., Gellhorn A. Outcomes of a COVID-19 recovery program for patients hospitalized with SARS-CoV-2 infection in New York City: A prospective cohort study. Phys. Med. Rehabil. 2021;13:609–617. doi: 10.1002/pmrj.12578. PubMed DOI PMC

Poussardin C., Oulehri W., Isner M.E., Mertes P.M., Collange O. In-ICU COVID-19 patients’ characteristics for an estimation in post-ICU rehabilitation care requirement. Anaesth. Crit. Care Pain Med. 2020;39:479–480. doi: 10.1016/j.accpm.2020.06.002. PubMed DOI PMC

Piquet V., Luczak C., Seiler F., Monaury J., Martini A., Ward A.B., Gracies J.-M., Motavasseli D., Lépine E., Chambard L., et al. Do Patients With COVID-19 Benefit from Rehabilitation? Functional Outcomes of the First 100 Patients in a COVID-19 Rehabilitation Unit. Arch. Phys. Med. Rehabil. 2021;102:1067–1074. doi: 10.1016/j.apmr.2021.01.069. PubMed DOI PMC

Curci C., Negrini F., Ferrillo M., Bergonzi R., Bonacci E., Camozzi D.M., Ceravolo C., Franceschi D.E.S., Guarnieri R., Moro P., et al. Functional outcome after inpatient rehabilitation in postintensive care unit COVID-19 patients: Findings and clinical implications from a real-practice retrospective study. Eur. J. Phys. Rehabil. Med. 2021;57:443–450. doi: 10.23736/S1973-9087.20.06660-5. PubMed DOI

Wiertz C.M., Vints W.A., Maas G.J., Rasquin S.M., van Horn Y.Y., Dremmen M.P., Hemmen B., Verbunt J.A. COVID-19: Patient Characteristics in the First Phase of Postintensive Care Rehabilitation. Arch. Rehabil. Res. Clin. Transl. 2021;3:100108. doi: 10.1016/j.arrct.2021.100108. PubMed DOI PMC

Gottlieb M., Sansom S., Frankenberger C., Ward E., Hota B. Clinical Course and Factors Associated with Hospitalization and Critical Illness Among COVID-19 Patients in Chicago, Illinois. Acad. Emerg. Med. 2020;27:963–973. doi: 10.1111/acem.14104. PubMed DOI PMC

Suleyman G., Fadel R.A., Malette K.M., Hammond C., Abdulla H., Entz A., Demertzis Z., Hanna Z., Failla A., Dagher C., et al. Clinical Characteristics and Morbidity Associated with Coronavirus Disease 2019 in a Series of Patients in Metropolitan Detroit. JAMA Netw. Open. 2020;3:e2012270. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.12270. PubMed DOI PMC

Butz M., Lehmann S., Pliske J., Pfeifer A., Scharf F.M.T., Schon G., Renger F., Gulasova M., Mackova Z., Bundzelova K., et al. Physiotherapy & Psychosocial Rehabilitation in Postcovid & Postconflict Era: New Roles with same Staff? (dispatch) Clin. Soc. Work. Health Interv. 2022;13:45–47. doi: 10.22359/cswhi_13_5_09. DOI

Kass D.A., Duggal P., Cingolani O. Obesity could shift severe COVID-19 disease to younger ages. Lancet. 2020;395:1544–1545. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(20)31024-2. PubMed DOI PMC

Ko J.Y., Danielson M.L., Town M., Derado G., Greenlund K.J., Kirley P.D., Alden N.B., Yousey-Hindes K., Anderson E.J., Ryan P.A., et al. Risk Factors for Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)–Associated Hospitalization: COVID-19–Associated Hospitalization Surveillance Network and Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. Clin. Infect. Dis. 2020;72:e695–e703. doi: 10.1093/cid/ciaa1419. PubMed DOI PMC

Smondack P., Gravier F., Prieur G., Repel A., Muir J.-F., Cuvelier A., Combret Y., Medrinal C., Bonnevie T. Kinésithérapie et COVID-19: De la réanimation à la réhabilitation à domicile. Synthèse des recommandations internationales. Rev. Des. Mal. Respir. 2020;37:811–822. doi: 10.1016/j.rmr.2020.09.001. PubMed DOI PMC

Těpánek L., Nakládalová M., Janošíková M., Štěpánek L., Kabrhelová K., Boriková A. Predictors and characteristics of post-acute COVID-19 syndrome in healthcare workers. Infect. Dis. 2023;55:125–131. doi: 10.1080/23744235.2022.2136750. PubMed DOI

Sisó-Almirall A., Brito-Zerón P., Ferrín L.C., Kostov B., Moreno A.M., Mestres J., Sellarès J., Galindo G., Morera R., Basora J., et al. Long Covid-19: Proposed Primary Care Clinical Guidelines for Diagnosis and Disease Management. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health. 2021;18:4350. doi: 10.3390/ijerph18084350. PubMed DOI PMC

Scheiber B., Spiegl C., Wiederin C., Schifferegger E., Schiefermeier-Mach N. Post-COVID-19 Rehabilitation: Perception and Experience of Austrian Physiotherapists and Physiotherapy Students. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health. 2021;18:8730. doi: 10.3390/ijerph18168730. PubMed DOI PMC

Simonelli C., Paneroni M., Fokom A.G., Saleri M., Speltoni I., Favero I., Garofali F., Scalvini S., Vitacca M. How the COVID-19 infection tsunami revolutionized the work of respiratory physiotherapists: An experience from Northern Italy. Monaldi Arch. Chest Dis. 2020;90:292–298. doi: 10.4081/monaldi.2020.1085. PubMed DOI