The Breath project (Project Number: 2022-1-PL01-KA220-HED-000089283) has been Co-funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author or authors only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the Foundation for the Development of the Education System. Neither the European Union nor the entity providing the grant can be held responsible for them.

Inpatient post-COVID-19 rehabilitation program featuring virtual reality—Preliminary results of randomized controlled trial

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Institution
Faculty of Physical Education and Physiotherapy, Opole University of Technology, Opole, Poland
Institution Typology
University, Hospital
Country
Poland
Description
Intervention design: The study evaluated a 3-week high-intensity inpatient pulmonary rehabilitation program comparing traditional therapy with a novel VR-led therapy for post-COVID-19 patients. People involved: 32 patients (20 females and 12 males) with post-acute sequelae of COVID-19, aged 41–67 years, multidisciplinary rehabilitation team. Identified barriers: Managing the intensity of rehabilitation to accommodate individual patient's post-COVID-19 conditions, ensuring patient compliance with VR technology. Sustainability: The VR approach has the potential for future applications in remote or home-based settings with appropriate technological support. Transferability: The program can be adapted to other rehabilitation settings, particularly for patients with similar post-viral syndromes.
Disease
Covid19
Activity level
Intense
Activity Typology
Rehabilitation section-based activities
Motivation Tools
Available
Innovation
The use of VR in pulmonary rehabilitation to provide engaging scenarios that help shift patients' focus away from discomfort and increase their motivation to complete the exercises.
Evaluation System
Quantifiable results: The study measured improvements in 6-minute walk test (6MWT) distance, lung function (FEV1, FVC, TLC), and stress levels (Perceived Stress Scale, PSS-10).
Presence of comparison group: Yes, a control group participating in traditional rehabilitation without VR was included for comparison.
Assessment
The practice is considered good as it demonstrated that VR rehabilitation can improve exercise performance and reduce stress levels in post-COVID-19 patients, with results comparable to traditional methods
References
Rutkowski S, Bogacz K, Rutkowska A, Szczegielniak J, Casaburi R. Inpatient post-COVID-19 rehabilitation program featuring virtual reality-Preliminary results of randomized controlled trial. Front Public Health. 2023;11:1121554. Published 2023 Feb 6. doi:10.3389/fpubh.2023.1121554
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Ricardo Sousa Mestre, Escola Superior de Saúde Atlântica - Portugal (PT)
Very interesting