Comparing COVID-19 Inpatient Outcomes When Treated With a Twice-a-day 15- Minute PT Program Versus a Once-a-day-30-minute PT Program

The 2019 pandemic struck New York City hospitals early and aggressively. In rehabilitating inpatients during the early part of the pandemic, we learned that many of them were too affected by the COVID-19 illness to be able to tolerate the typical 30-minute daily session of physical therapy. At that time, the physical therapy (PT) staff often accommodated patients by dividing the typical 30 minute daily session into two 15 minute sessions in an effort to increase patient tolerance and participation. However, it was discovered at that time that literature was scarce on whether these divided PT sessions were equal or superior to the typical sessions. Nor was there any substantial literature on whether shorter duration higher frequency sessions were better tolerated by the inpatient. The purpose of this prospective randomized non-blinded controlled study is to compare outcomes of COVID inpatients receiving one 30 minute daily session of PT to patients receiving two 15 minute daily sessions of PT.

In order to obtain high quality data on level of mobility during hospitalization, two separate scoring systems will be used: The AMPAC and JH-HLM scores. These two scoring systems have been selected for their wide acceptance in both the physiatry and physical therapy communities, and due to having confirmed inter-rater reliability and validity. These scores will be calculated by the physical therapist on initial evaluation, and then again on every session up until discharge. The physical therapy team at this community hospital have already received extensive education on the utilization of both of these scoring tools.

The rationale for this study is to determine whether shorter duration (15 minute) higher frequency sessions (2x a day) are better tolerated than the standard 30-minute session. We hypothesize that shorter duration higher frequency sessions are superior to standard inpatient PT sessions in terms of patient tolerance and change in mobility scores from admission to discharge. Supporting evidence is based on previous observation and from a recent survey given to 19 physical therapists actively working with COVID-19 inpatients at White plains Hospital: Healthier patients have a higher tolerance of the 30 minute sessions, and sicker patients have a poor tolerance of the 30 minute sessions.