Implementation of pulmonary rehabilitation in postCOVID19 in Latin America: 18 months later

ABSTRACT

Introduction: The impact caused by the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has considerably altered the provision of outpatient rehabilitation services, especially pulmonary rehabilitation (PR). Objective(s) To describe the situation of PR services in Latin America 18 months after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Method(s) Cross-sectional study in which a survey was sent to professionals from PR centers in Latin America. An online questionnaire was applied from May to September 2021. The following data were included demographic data of the programs, evaluation strategies, program structure, RP intervention in post-COVID-19 patients, and perception of therapeutic strategies for the care of post-COVID patients. COVID-19. The questionnaire was distributed in Spanish and Portuguese languages. This study was approved by the ethics committee. Result(s) Responses were received from 196 centers from 14 countries;Most of the surveys were answered by physiotherapists/kinesiologists in 65.7%. In the evaluation of exercise tolerance, the 6-minute walk test is the most used. Less than 50% of the institutions evaluate the quality of life, symptoms, and lung function. In the prescription of exercise intensity, there is reduced use of CPET and it is prescribed mainly with subjective scales of symptoms (Borg Scale) (78.1%), and response to exercise with vital signs (71.4%). The programs have, practically, for the most part, physical therapists (90.8%), as well as pulmonologists (60%), psychologists (35%), among other professionals. Conclusion(s) The application of these programs in Latin America is heterogeneous, both in the evaluations and the interventions carried out.