Is tele-rehabilitation superior to home exercise program in COVID-19 survivors following discharge from intensive care unit? - A study protocol of a randomized controlled trial

Background and Purpose: Evaluating the patients with COVID-19 following discharge from intensive care unit for pulmonary rehabilitation is crucial. It could be difficult to participate rehabilitation program due to transportation problems and cautions for contagiousness. Tele-rehabilitation could serve as a favorable alternative. The primary aim of this study is to investigate whether supervised tele-rehabilitation is superior to home exercise program regarding walking distance and secondarily muscle strength, muscle endurance, quality of life, physical activity level and perceived respiratory disability. Methods: This is a randomized assessor blinded control trial with two groups; tele-rehabilitation and home exercise. One hundred twenty-two COVID-19 survivors following discharge from intensive care unit will be allocated into two groups. The tele-rehabilitation group will receive breathing, aerobic, posture, stretching, strengthening exercises at their home under remote supervision via Internet for 3 days/week for 10 weeks. Home exercise group will receive the same program at their home on their own and they will be called weekly. The patients will be evaluated at the beginning, at the end of the program, 6th and 12th months following the rehabilitation. The primary outcome is the change in 6-minute walking distance; the secondary outcomes are changes in quality of life, physical function, health status, dyspnea and muscle strength. Impact Statement: This detailed description of the rehabilitation protocol will guide to plan the rehabilitation program and help how to design an efficacy study comparing different models of rehabilitation in COVID-19 survivors following discharge from intensive care unit with evidence-based contribution to the literature.