Supervised Telerehabilitation and Home-Based Respiratory Muscle Training for Post-COVID-19 Condition Symptoms: A Nested Qualitative Study Exploring the Perspectives of Participants in a Randomized Controlled Trial.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to describe the experiences of individuals with post-coronavirus 19 (COVID-19) condition symptoms who underwent a supervised telerehabilitation and home-based respiratory muscle training (TSHB-RMT) program. METHODS: A qualitative descriptive study was conducted. Participants were recruited using purposeful sampling. The inclusion criteria consisted of: patients aged over 18 years who presented persistent COVID-19 symptoms of fatigue and dyspnea for at least 3 months after the COVID-19 diagnosis. In total, 28 patients were included. In-depth interviews and researcher field notes were used to collect the data. A thematic analysis was performed. RESULTS: Three themes reflect the patients' perspective on the TSHB-RMT before the program (reasons for participating), during the treatment program, and upon completion of the study. Among the reasons for participation, participants highlighted the absence of improvement and treatment, and feeling abandoned and forgotten by the health system. The treatment required discipline on behalf of the patients. Mondays and Tuesdays were the most difficult days for performing the therapy, and the physical therapist was perceived as a tool for adherence, change, and a source of validated information. The patients perceived positive effects quite soon; however, it was necessary to extend the follow-up after completing the program because they abandoned the program due to the lack of guidance for exercise supervision. CONCLUSION: This study described relevant aspects that physical therapist professionals should consider when providing TSHB-RMT treatment. IMPACT: TSHB-RMT requires discipline, perseverance, effort, and a commitment to the group. The physical therapist is perceived as the tool that facilitates adherence and participation. The effects are rapidly perceived, leading to improved self-confidence and autonomy; however, it is necessary to increase the follow-up time.

Long-Term Care Facilities and Nursing Homes during the First Wave of the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Scoping Review of the Perspectives of Professionals, Families and Residents.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had significant repercussions for nursing home residents, their families, and professionals. The objective was to describe the perspectives of residents, their families, and nursing home employees during the COVID-19 pandemic. A scoping review was carried out using the PRISMA Extension for Scoping Reviews. The inclusion criteria were: qualitative and/or mixed methods studies in English, French, Portuguese, and Spanish. The review covers studies published from 11 March 2020 to 15 February 2021. CINAHL, PubMed, Web of Science, ScienceDirect, Scopus, British Nursing Index, Proquest, PsycInfo, and Google Scholar databases were used. We conducted a systematic narrative synthesis, presenting the results narratively and showing descriptive statistics on the studies reviewed. Sixteen documents were obtained from 175 results. Two studies focused on residents and one on their families. The remaining studies looked at professionals. Nursing homes had great difficulty managing resources, which was exacerbated by emotional exhaustion among residents, employees, and family members. In nursing homes, creative initiatives and new forms of leadership appeared to meet emerging needs during the pandemic. The results of the study show the impact of the pandemic on nursing homes and the response capacity present among residents, family members, and professionals.