Abstract
It has been noted that as high as 20.3% of patients hospitalized for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) require intensive care unit (ICU) admission. This has most commonly been attributed to the development of acute respiratory distress syndrome. These patients require prolonged periods of ICU stay, averaging approximately 20 days. As people recover and are discharged, there will be a new pandemic of critical illness survivors. These patients would present with impairments and disabilities arising because of prolonged ICU stay as well as consequences of severe respiratory illness. The longer the duration of ICU stay, the higher is the risk for long-term physical, cognitive, and emotional impairments needing comprehensive and early rehabilitation. This article focuses on the indispensable role of early and interdisciplinary rehabilitation in effective disaster management, restoring functions, and improving quality of life in COVID survivors. It outlines how to practically expand rehabilitation services in a resource-limited country, such as India, and lists the limitations being faced that prevent the uniform application of rehabilitation services in India. This would help to deal with the rapid increase in demand of postacute care facilities, be it in hospital services, in the form of inpatient or outpatient rehabilitation or home care facilities, including telemedicine.
Highlights
In the weeks and months following the surge in cases, there will be a rapid increase in the number of COVID19 survivors, some of whom would have spent a long time immobilized in the intensive care unit (ICU), battling critical illness and requiring rehabilitation
The purpose of this review is to explain the role of interdisciplinary rehabilitation during this pandemic and how it helps in restoring functions and improving quality of life in COVID survivors
Pulmonary rehabilitation is not recommended for patients in acute stage of acute respiratory distress syndrome. (ARDS) and unstable patients except for positioning advice and range of motion exercises.[13]
Summary
It has been noted that as high as 20.3% of patients hospitalized for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) require intensive care unit (ICU) admission This has most commonly been attributed to the development of acute respiratory distress syndrome. C oronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a potentially serious acute respiratory infection caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).[1] It is alarming to note that, 20.3% of those hospitalized for COVID-19 need intensive care unit (ICU) admission, mostly due to development of acute respiratory distress syndrome. The presence of physiatrists and the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R) Department will decongest the acute services, creating space for newly affected patients to receive acute care They will make the hospital services more efficient by decreasing the length of ICU stay and providing a proper outlet for acute services. The purpose of this review is to explain the role of interdisciplinary rehabilitation during this pandemic and how it helps in restoring functions and improving quality of life in COVID survivors
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