Assessment of health-related quality of life in COVID-19 patients at discharge and 6 months post-discharge following a guided exercise prescription: A pilot study

Abstract: OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to assess the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in COVID-19 patients at discharge and 6 months post-discharge following a guided exercise prescription. METHODS: This cross-sectional study comprised 42 patients diagnosed with COVID-19 recruited from a tertiary care hospital. The demographic and clinical characteristics of the participants such as age, gender, co-morbidities, computed tomography severity score, CO-RADS category, hospitalization days, oxygen support, and intensive care unit (ICU) admission were documented. HRQoL using EuroQol 5-dimensional-5 levels (EQ-5D-5L) was assessed at two timelines: (1) at discharge and (2) 6 months post-discharge. Participants were given a well-structured written home program comprising breathing exercises, general mobility exercises, and functional training at discharge and were advised to follow up for physiotherapy services. Regular telephonic communication was done to ensure adherence to exercise and monitor the patient’s health status. RESULTS: The study comprised 42 participants having a mean age of 49.86 ± 15.83 years. 11.90% ( n = 5) of participants were admitted to the ICU during initial stay at the hospital. 54.76% ( n = 23) of participants were on oxygen support. Overall, only 21.62% ( n = 08) came for follow-up to the physiotherapy outpatient department post-discharge. A significant difference was observed in EQ-5D-5L dimensions along with a significant difference while comparing the EuroQol Visual Analog Scale score at discharge and after 6-month follow-up ( P = 0.00). CONCLUSION: The quality of life of COVID-19 patients was significantly affected at discharge which showed steady improvement after six months following a guided-exercise program.