Effectiveness of a comprehensive rehabilitation program in post-COVID-19 patients: functional and psychosocial improvements
Keywords:
Rehabilitation, Post-COVID, Lung Function, Anxiety, Depression, Functional CapacityAbstract
Introduction: the COVID-19 pandemic has generated physical, psychological, and functional sequelae that impact quality of life. This study evaluated the effectiveness of a comprehensive rehabilitation program for post-COVID-19 patients in primary care.
Objective: to determine the outcomes of a comprehensive rehabilitation program for patients with COVID-19 sequelae in primary health care.
Methods: longitudinal study (august 2022 - january 2023) with 45 patients clinically recovered from COVID-19, treated at the "José Jacinto Milanés" Rehabilitation Service in Santa Clara, Cuba. The program included 30 daily sessions of physical, respiratory, and psychosocial rehabilitation. Functional capacity (6-minute test), anxiety/depression (Goldberg Scale), BMI, and cardiovascular parameters were measured.
Results: significant improvement in 6-minute walk distance (p=0.000), notable reduction in anxiety and depression, decreased systolic and diastolic blood pressure, positive trend in BMI, and 84.4% (38 patients) showed overall improvement, 11.1% showed fair progress, and only 4.4% showed negative results.
Conclusions: the program proved effective in improving functional capacity, psychosocial health, and cardiovascular health in patients with post-COVID-19 sequelae. It is recommended that these interventions be generalized to rehabilitation services to optimize the recovery and quality of life of survivors.
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Copyright (c) 2025 Lídice Villaurrutia-Alonso , Jayne Bárbara Peñate-Brito , Iliana Brito-García , Ismaray Castellanos-Milian, Laura María Herrera-Fraga , Miriela Diago-Rodríguez
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