Provision of pulmonary rehabilitation in Latin America 18 months after the COVID-19 pandemic: A survey of the Latin American Thoracic Association

Benavides-Cordoba, Vicente; Barros-Poblete, Marisol; Mazzucco, Guillermo; Fregonezi, Guilherme A. F.; Torres‐Castro, Rodrigo

doi:10.1177/14799731221104102

Cited by 12 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 47 publications

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“…Therefore, it is essential to promote the need for interdisciplinary healthcare teams to manage this condition ( 42 ). Although in the current scenario, the increased requirements for specialized health services may raise costs for already strained health systems, and rehabilitation services in the region have been impacted by operational and infrastructure adjustments needed for compliance with the biosafety regulations brought on by the pandemic ( 43 ). Alternatives to these challenges should be explored since, according to our results, a significant proportion of patients with LCC symptoms will require an integrated approach to regain their health.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Exploring long COVID condition in Latin America: Its impact on patients’ activities and associated healthcare use

et al. 2023

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BackgroundStudies exploring long COVID condition (LCC) in low- and middle-income countries are scarce. Further characterization of LCC patients experiencing activity limitations and their associated healthcare use is needed. This study aimed to describe LCC patients’ characteristics, its impact on activities, and associated healthcare use in Latin America (LATAM).ParticipantsIndividuals who (cared for someone or) had COVID-19 and could read, write, and comprehend Spanish and lived in a LATAM country were invited to complete a virtual survey. Sociodemographic characteristics, COVID-19 and LCC symptoms, activity limitations, and healthcare use.ResultsData from 2,466 people from 16 countries in LATAM were analyzed (females = 65.9%; mean age of 39.5 ± 53.3 years). 1,178 (48%) of the respondents had LCC symptoms (≥3 months). These were more likely to have COVID-19 earlier in the pandemic, were older, had no COVID vaccines, had more comorbidities, needed supplementary oxygen, and reported significantly more COVID-19 symptoms during the infectious period. 33% of the respondents visited a primary care provider, 13% went to the emergency department, 5% were hospitalized, 21% visited a specialist, and 32% consulted ≥1 therapist for LCC symptoms mainly extreme fatigue, sleep difficulties, headaches, muscle or joint pain, and shortness of breath with activity. The most consulted therapists were respiratory therapists (15%) and psychologists (14%), followed by physical therapists (13%), occupational therapists (3%), and speech pathologists (1%). One-third of LCC respondents decreased their regular activities (e.g., work, school) and 8% needed help with activities of daily living (ADLs). LCC respondents who reduced their activities reported more difficulty sleeping, chest pain with activity, depression, and problems with concentration, thinking, and memory, while those who needed help with ADLs were more likely to have difficulty walking, and shortness of breath at rest. Approximately 60% of respondents who experienced activity limitations sought a specialist and 50% consulted therapists.Conclusions and relevanceResults supported previous findings in terms of the LCC demographics, and provided insight into LCC impact on patients’ activities and healthcare services used in LATAM. This information is valuable to inform service planning and resource allocation in alignment with the needs of this population.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Exploring long COVID condition in Latin America: Its impact on patients’ activities and associated healthcare use

et al. 2023

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“… 13 , 36 , 42 This fact is a critical point in the current pandemic since many services have had to generate remote monitoring and rehabilitation programmes due to the operational problems of rehabilitation services. 43 Our results show that 1min-STST and CST can be used as an alternative in remote programmes.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 63%

Comparison of different field tests to assess the physical capacity of post-COVID-19 patients

et al. 2024

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“…However, a recent large-scale nationwide study from the United States concluded that use of rehabilitation services was associated with race, although the incidence of post-COVID symptoms was no different, with black and Latino patients being underrepresented in the group of people seeking post-COVID help ( 20 ). A Latino American study revealed a heterogeneous pattern of rehabilitation provision within the region, with most of the programmes focusing on physiotherapy ( 21 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Quality of Life after Coronavirus Disease 2019 Hospitalization and Rehabilitation Needs

Kintrilis¹,

Kontaxakis²,

Papalambidou³

et al. 2023

JRM-CC

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Introduction: During the current pandemic, there has been a paucity of Greek data in terms of recording the general long-term functional status of patients after coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) hospitalizations, as well as very little information regarding rehabilitation services nationwide and their utilization.Objective-design: This is a prospective cohort study, including 92 adults discharged from the Infectious Disease Unit of a third-level hospital in Greece after hospitalization with COVID-19. Demographics and disease severity data was collected upon admission and symptoms at discharge, 4 months and 1 year. Following rating of 12 common symptoms on a Likert scale, quality-of-life data and accessibility to rehabilitation services were compared among the 3 time points. Results: At discharge, the most prevalent complaints were fatigue, exertional dyspnoea and difficulty walking. At 4 months, these 3 remained among the most prevalent symptoms, while pain and memory/loss concentration remained at high numbers as well. Finally, at the 1-year mark, the percentages of patients reporting fatigue, exertional dyspnoea and pain were the highest. At the 4-month follow-up, only 4.3% of the study participants had visited a rehabilitation facility of any kind, whereas at the 1-year mark the percentage rose to 10.9%. Conclusion: A clinically relevant number of participants experienced at least one post-COVID-19 hospitalization symptom. Quality of life was markedly affected by the longer-term effects of the disease. The percentage of people finally attending any kind of rehabilitation service was poor. With thousands more being infected and needing hospitalization nationwide daily, the need for the inclusion of relevant rehabilitation programmes in the Greek healthcare system appears imminent. LAY ABSTRACTFor this research paper, we studied 92 adults discharged from the Infectious Disease Unit of a third-level hospital after hospitalization with COVID-19, examining their quality of life and accessibility to rehabilitation services among 3 time points: discharge, 4 months and 1 year afterwards. At discharge, the most prevalent complaints were fatigue, exertional dyspnoea and difficulty walking. At 4 months, these 3 remained among the most prevalent symptoms, while pain and memory/loss concentration remained at high numbers as well. Finally, at the 1-year mark, the percentages of patients reporting fatigue, exertional dyspnoea and pain were the highest. Quality of life was markedly affected by the longer-term effects of the disease. The percentage of people finally attending any kind of rehabilitation service was poor. Without a doubt, the need for inclusion of rehabilitation programmes in the healthcare systems is imminent in order to face the continued pandemic challenge.

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Provision of pulmonary rehabilitation in Latin America 18 months after the COVID-19 pandemic: A survey of the Latin American Thoracic Association

Cited by 12 publications

References 47 publications

Exploring long COVID condition in Latin America: Its impact on patients’ activities and associated healthcare use

Exploring long COVID condition in Latin America: Its impact on patients’ activities and associated healthcare use

Comparison of different field tests to assess the physical capacity of post-COVID-19 patients

Quality of Life after Coronavirus Disease 2019 Hospitalization and Rehabilitation Needs

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