The Effects of Pulmonary Rehabilitation Applied to Intensive Care Unit Patients on Dyspnea, Quality of Life, Depression, Anxiety, and Daily Living Activities: A Randomized Controlled Study.

PURPOSE: The aim of our study was to find out the effects of pulmonary rehabilitation (PR), which was applied to patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) both during their stay in the intensive care unit and also after discharge, on dyspnea, daily living activities, anxiety, depression, and quality of life.

METHODS

The study was conducted using a randomized, pretest, posttest, follow-up, and control group interventional study design. The data were collected from patients between June and August 2021. A total of 60 patients with COVID-19 in the intensive care unit, including 30 in the intervention and 30 in the control group, were included randomly in the study. The patients in the intervention group were started PR at home and continued with telerehabilitation.

RESULTS

Pulmonary rehabilitation applied to patients diagnosed with COVID-19 both during their stay in the intensive care unit and following discharge had a positive effect on patients' dyspnea, daily living activities, anxiety, depression, and quality of life.

CONCLUSION

It was found that PR applied both during the intensive care unit stay and at home by using the telerehabilitation method decreased anxiety, depression, and dyspnea in patients with COVID-19 and affected the quality of life and daily living activities positively. Continuing PR, which was applied to acute respiratory patients in the hospital and with telerehabilitation at home, can ensure the integrity of care and treatment.