Physiotherapy Management for COVID-19

PURPOSE: The purpose of this paper is to provide a review of physiotherapy intervention for patients with COVID-19 during their hospital admission and post-discharge. METHODS: The recommendations and guidelines of physiotherapy management, medical management, and general information of the WHO, Australian Physiotherapist, European Respiratory Society, British Thoracic Society, and American Thoracic Society were reviewed. RESULTS: This paper contains general information on COVID-19, including medical management, and the importance of physiotherapy approaches including an assessment of the patients' function, such as the 6-minute walking test, five sit to stand or sit to stand for one minute to measure their function as their recovery journey. The patients' quality of life, anxiety, and depression should be considered. Physiotherapy management should be based on an assessment of the patient's presenting impairments, including inclusion and exclusion of physiotherapy intervention. The paper also approaches step by step with the disease progress, from an intensive care unit, the general ward in the acute phase, through to the rehabilitation ward if needed, and post-discharge as an outpatient.. CONCLUSION: The paper has a limitation due to the unknown factor of the natural history of COVID-19. Depending on the patients' recovery journey and the rehabilitation needed, any physiotherapy interventions should focus on what the patients' need on their journey to recovery, e.g., pulmonary, cardiac, neurological, and general rehabilitation. In addition, applying personal protection equipment for treating physiotherapists is a mandatory requirement because this protects from the transmission of COVID-19.

코비드-19와 물리치료적 접근