Physiotherapy management for COVID-19 in the acute hospital setting and beyond: an update to clinical practice recommendations

Peter Thomas; Claire Baldwin; Lisa Beach; Bernie Bissett; Ianthe Boden; Sherene Magana Cruz; Rik Gosselink; Catherine L Granger; Carol Hodgson; Anne E Holland; Alice Ym Jones; Michelle E Kho; Lisa van der Lee; Rachael Moses; George Ntoumenopoulos; Selina M Parry; Shane Patman

doi:10.1016/j.jphys.2021.12.012

Physiotherapy management for COVID-19 in the acute hospital setting and beyond: an update to clinical practice recommendations

J Physiother. 2022 Jan;68(1):8-25. doi: 10.1016/j.jphys.2021.12.012. Epub 2021 Dec 23.

Authors

Peter Thomas¹, Claire Baldwin², Lisa Beach³, Bernie Bissett⁴, Ianthe Boden⁵, Sherene Magana Cruz⁶, Rik Gosselink⁷, Catherine L Granger⁸, Carol Hodgson⁹, Anne E Holland¹⁰, Alice Ym Jones¹¹, Michelle E Kho¹², Lisa van der Lee¹³, Rachael Moses¹⁴, George Ntoumenopoulos¹⁵, Selina M Parry¹⁶, Shane Patman¹⁷

Affiliations

¹ Department of Physiotherapy, Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital, Brisbane, Australia. Electronic address: PeterJ.Thomas@health.qld.gov.au.
² Caring Futures Institute, College of Nursing and Health Sciences, Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia.
³ Department of Physiotherapy, The Royal Melbourne Hospital, Melbourne, Australia.
⁴ Discipline of Physiotherapy, University of Canberra, Canberra, Australia; Physiotherapy Department, Canberra Hospital, Canberra, Australia.
⁵ Physiotherapy Department, Launceston General Hospital, Launceston, Australia; School of Medicine, University of Tasmania, Launceston, Australia.
⁶ Australian and New Zealand Intensive Care Research Centre, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia.
⁷ Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium; Department of Critical Care, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
⁸ Department of Physiotherapy, The Royal Melbourne Hospital, Melbourne, Australia; Department of Physiotherapy, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.
⁹ Australian and New Zealand Intensive Care Research Centre, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia; Alfred Health, Melbourne, Australia; Department of Critical Care, School of Medicine, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia; The George Institute for Global Health, Sydney, Australia.
¹⁰ Central Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia; Departments of Physiotherapy and Respiratory Medicine, Alfred Health, Melbourne, Australia.
¹¹ School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.
¹² School of Rehabilitation Science, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada; St Joseph's Healthcare, Hamilton, Canada; The Research Institute of St Joe's, Hamilton, Canada.
¹³ Physiotherapy Department, Fiona Stanley Hospital, Perth, Australia.
¹⁴ NHS Leadership Academy, Leadership and Lifelong Learning, People Directorate, NHS England and Improvement, London, UK.
¹⁵ Department of Physiotherapy, St Vincent's Hospital, Sydney, Australia.
¹⁶ Department of Physiotherapy, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.
¹⁷ Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Midwifery, Health Sciences & Physiotherapy, The University of Notre Dame Australia, Perth, Australia.

Abstract

This document provides an update to the recommendations for physiotherapy management for adults with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the acute hospital setting. It includes: physiotherapy workforce planning and preparation; a screening tool for determining requirement for physiotherapy; and recommendations for the use of physiotherapy treatments and personal protective equipment. New advice and recommendations are provided on: workload management; staff health, including vaccination; providing clinical education; personal protective equipment; interventions, including awake proning, mobilisation and rehabilitation in patients with hypoxaemia. Additionally, recommendations for recovery after COVID-19 have been added, including roles that physiotherapy can offer in the management of post-COVID syndrome. The updated guidelines are intended for use by physiotherapists and other relevant stakeholders caring for adult patients with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 in the acute care setting and beyond.

Keywords: COVID-19; Coronavirus; Physical therapy.

MeSH terms

COVID-19*
Hospitals
Humans
Personal Protective Equipment
Physical Therapy Modalities
SARS-CoV-2