MedPath

Telerehabilitation for Post COVID-19 Condition

Not Applicable
Completed
Conditions
Long COVID
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Interventions
Other: Telerehabilitation program based on cardiorespiratory principles
Registration Number
NCT05973136
Lead Sponsor
Université de Sherbrooke
Brief Summary

Telerehabilitation is a great alternative to offering care during a global pandemic. 85% of patients with COVID-19 report persistent symptoms up to 8 months after the infection. There are no clear recommendations for post-covid rehabilitation. The aims of the study are (1) to test the logistic aspect of implanting a hybrid rehabilitation program and (2) to evaluate the acceptability and the potential impact of the program on treating patients with functional limitations and persistent fatigue symptoms. It's a pre and post-study without a control group.

Detailed Description

Telerehabilitation is a great alternative to offering care during a global pandemic. 85% of patients with COVID-19 report persistent symptoms up to 8 months after the infection. There are no clear recommendations for post-covid rehabilitation. The aims of the study are (1) to test the logistic aspect of implanting a hybrid rehabilitation program and (2) to evaluate the acceptability and the potential impact of the program on treating patients with functional limitations and persistent fatigue symptoms. It's a pre and post-study without a control group. The intervention will be based on cardiopulmonary rehabilitation principles and will be administered for 12 weeks. Fatigue, post-exertional malaise, and functional/exercise capacities will be evaluated.

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status
COMPLETED
Sex
All
Target Recruitment
7
Inclusion Criteria
  • Living in the community
  • Living near Sherbrooke (<50km)
  • Having a diagnostic of COVID-19 confirmed (PCR) and post-COVID syndrome (according to the World Health Organization criteria)
  • Being aged between 25 and 65 years old
  • Having access to internet at home
  • Living with a family member/caregiver or having a telephone or a medical alert system (in case of emergency)
  • Reporting persistent fatigue symptoms according to the Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS) (score≥4/7)
  • Reporting functional limitations according to the Post-COVID-19 Functional Status scale (PCFS (score ≥2/4);
  • Being able to give free and informed consent (adequate understanding of the study protocol);
  • Agreeing to perform a pulmonary function test, an exercise stress test, and an ergospirometric exercise test (adequate understanding of steps and procedures);
  • Having a low exercise capacity and moderate-to-severe cardiovascular risk <7 metabolic equivalent of a task (MET) or ≤9 if significant reduction of self-reported exercise tolerance according to the stress test performed on a treadmill - Cornell protocol);
  • Having no other potential explanatory causes for fatigue or reduced exercise capacity according to medical evaluation
Exclusion Criteria
  • Cognitive impairment: Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) ≤24/30
  • Inability to perform or understand study procedures
  • Medical contraindication

Study & Design

Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Study Design
SINGLE_GROUP
Arm && Interventions
GroupInterventionDescription
Intervention groupTelerehabilitation program based on cardiorespiratory principlesGroup of participant receiving the hybrid telerehabilitation intervention
Primary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Fatigue and post-exercise malaise12 weeks

This will be evaluated with the Fatigue severity scare and De Paul Symptom Questionnaire.

Acceptability12 weeks

The satisfaction of the participants will be evaluated with a questionnaire (14 questions). The questionnaire will assess patients' satisfaction with the professional, the services and the organization - Telemedicine Satisfaction. Qualitative open-ended questions will be used to determine appreciation and challenges encountered.

The feasibility of the program12 weeks

This will be evaluated by % of participants that accept to participate in the study (recruitment rate), % who completed the intervention (retention rate) and % completed session/anticipated session (adherence).

The security of the program will be evaluated by the number of falls or near fall.

Technical difficulty

Secondary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Heart rate variability (resting)12 weeks

Measured with the POLAR H10

Functional capacity12 weeks

Strength, assistance with walking, rising from a chair, climbing stairs, and falls questionnaire (SARC-F)

Exercise capacity12 weeks

6-minute walk test

Lower-limb endurance (estimated)12 weeks

1-minute sit-to-stand test

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Université de Sherbrooke

🇨🇦

Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada

© Copyright 2025. All Rights Reserved by MedPath