Trial reportBMJ open respiratory research2023
Additive benefit of rehabilitation on physical status, symptoms and mental health after hospitalisation for severe COVID-19 pneumonia.
Trial report in BMJ open respiratory research, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 13 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
13 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 20 citations in OpenAlex.
- Research evidence on the management of the cognitive impairment component of the post-COVID condition: a qualitative systematic review.European psychiatry : the journal of the Association of European Psychiatrists · 2024Pooled it
- Trial
- Fully remote versus hybrid supervision of pulmonary telerehabilitation in COVID-19: a randomized clinical trial.European journal of physical and rehabilitation medicine · 2025Trial
- Psychiatric symptoms of long COVID among adults: observational case-control study in Johannesburg, South Africa.BJPsych open · 2026Article
- Rehabilitation in long COVID: a systematic review and meta-analysis.ERJ open research · 2026Article
- Surviving Sepsis Campaign: international guidelines for management of sepsis and septic shock 2026.Intensive care medicine · 2026Article
- Targeting dyspnoea through exercise intensity: insights from pulmonary rehabilitation and beyond, a narrative review.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciences · 2026Review
- Quality of Life and Functional Status in Individuals with Persistent Post-COVID Symptoms: A Cross-Sectional Comparison by Reported Rehabilitation.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2025Article
- Take Fatigue or Fatigues into Account in Physiotherapy Interventions? A Rapid Scoping Review.Physical therapy research · 2025Review
- Comment to: Ultrasound‑guided ilioinguinal‑iliohypogastric nerve block with local anesthesia and fentanyl analgesia versus local anesthesia and fentanyl analgesia prior to shouldice inguinal hernia repair in adults.Hernia : the journal of hernias and abdominal wall surgery · 2024Article
- Rehabilitation Is Associated With Improvements in Post-COVID-19 Sequelae.Respiratory care · 2024Article
- The Effect of Physiotherapy on Dyspnea, Muscle Strength and Functional Status in Patients with Long COVID Syndrome.Journal of personalized medicine · 2024Article
- Practical Recommendations for Exercise Training in Patients with Long COVID with or without Post-exertional Malaise: A Best Practice Proposal.Sports medicine - open · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
12 authors at 4 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
introductionThe potential additive benefits of rehabilitation beyond spontaneous recovery post-COVID-19 currently remain unknown.
methodsIn this prospective, interventional, non-randomised parallel assignment two-arm study, we investigated the effects of an 8-week rehabilitation programme (Rehab, n=25) added to usual care (UC) versus UC (n=27) on respiratory symptoms, fatigue, functional capacity, mental health and health-related quality of life in patients with COVID-19 pneumonia, 6-8 weeks post-hospital discharge. The rehabilitation programme included exercise, education, dietary and psychological support. Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, respiratory and heart failure were excluded from the study.
resultsAt baseline, groups were not different in mean age (56 years), gender (53% female), intensive care unit admission (61%), intubation (39%), days of hospitalisation (25), number of symptoms (9) and number of comorbidities (1.4). Baseline evaluation was conducted at median (IQR) 76 (27) days after symptoms onset. Groups were not different regarding baseline evaluation outcomes. At 8 weeks, Rehab showed significantly greater improvement in COPD Assessment Test by a mean±SEM (95% CI) 7.07±1.36 (4.29-9.84), p <0.001 DISCUSSION: These findings highlight the added value of rehabilitation post-COVID-19 to amplify the natural course of physical and mental recovery that otherwise would remain incomplete with UC.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.