Journal of the Formosan Medical Association (Jan 2021)

Rehabilitation programs for patients with COronaVIrus Disease 2019: consensus statements of Taiwan Academy of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation

  • Yuan-Yang Cheng,
  • Chin-Ming Chen,
  • Wei-Chun Huang,
  • Shang-Lin Chiang,
  • Pei-Chun Hsieh,
  • Ko-Long Lin,
  • Yi-Jen Chen,
  • Tieh-Cheng Fu,
  • Shu-Chun Huang,
  • Ssu-Yuan Chen,
  • Chia-Hsin Chen,
  • Shyh-Ming Chen,
  • Hsin-Shui Chen,
  • Li-Wei Chou,
  • Chen-Liang Chou,
  • Min-Hui Li,
  • Sen-Wei Tsai,
  • Lin-Yi Wang,
  • Yu-Lin Wang,
  • Willy Chou

Journal volume & issue
Vol. 120, no. 1
pp. 83 – 92

Abstract

Read online

The COronaVIrus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), which developed into a pandemic in 2020, has become a major healthcare challenge for governments and healthcare workers worldwide. Despite several medical treatment protocols having been established, a comprehensive rehabilitation program that can promote functional recovery is still frequently ignored. An online consensus meeting of an expert panel comprising members of the Taiwan Academy of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation was held to provide recommendations for rehabilitation protocols in each of the five COVID-19 stages, namely (1) outpatients with mild disease and no risk factors, (2) outpatients with mild disease and epidemiological risk factors, (3) hospitalized patients with moderate to severe disease, (4) ventilator-supported patients with clear cognitive function, and (5) ventilator-supported patients with impaired cognitive function. Apart from medications and life support care, a proper rehabilitation protocol that facilitates recovery from COVID-19 needs to be established and emphasized in clinical practice.

Keywords